Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun An outdoor area set aside for recreation and play, especially one containing equipment such as seesaws and swings.
  • noun A field or sphere of unrestricted pleasurable activity.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A piece of ground set apart for open-air recreation; especially, such a piece of ground connected with a school, etc.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A piece of ground used for recreation.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun outdoors A large open space to play on, usually for children.
  • noun A yard or other open-air space on a school campus where the children can play, especially during breaks
  • noun urban Small area with dedicated play equipment, usually for children
  • noun figuratively Any physical or metaphysical space in which a person or organization has free rein to do as they please.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun yard consisting of an outdoor area for children's play
  • noun an area where many people go for recreation

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

to play + ground

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Examples

  • To get the playground on the roof of the school house recognized as the _public playground_ seemed a long step toward turning it into a general neighborhood evening resort, that should be always open, and so towards bringing school and people, and especially the school and the boy, together in a bond of mutual sympathy good for them both.

    The Battle with the Slum 1881

  • When I think of the old Allen Street school, with its hard and ugly lines, where the gas had to be kept burning even on the brightest days, recitations suspended every half-hour, and the children made to practice calisthenics so that they should not catch cold while the windows were opened to let in fresh air; of the dark playground downstairs, with the rats keeping up such a racket that one could hardly hear himself speak at times; or of that other East Side “playground” where the boys “weren’t allowed to speak above a whisper, ” so as not to disturb those studying overhead, I fancy that I can make out both the cause and the cure of the boy’s desperation.

    XIII. Justice to the Boy 1902

  • Anyone who compares being stocked with nuclear weapons to being bullied on the playground is a moron, though I would love to play Dodgeball with Palin - may knock some sense into her!

    Obama brushes off Palin on nuclear deal 2010

  • The accepted behavior of a playground is to be as loud and rambunctious as you want to have a good time.

    Dru Blood - I believe in the inherent goodness of all beings: & you know what... 2005

  • It stinks to high heaven that a butt-muffin playground bully such as Blankenship has the right to, in effect, murder people for the sake of profit.

    Think Progress » Coal disaster company Massey Energy denied time off for miners to attend their friends’ funerals. 2010

  • One of the best materials which can be used to build a playground is rubber mulch.

    SciFi, Fantasy & Horror Collectibles - Part 638 2009

  • The joy of a playground is feeling the “land” under your feet as you run, jump and return to stable ground, as it truly is a ground that one plays on.

    blog – syllable studio 2009

  • The playground is usually done from the tires that are recycled.

    SciFi, Fantasy & Horror Collectibles - Part 638 2009

  • A playground is an essential part of any childhood, as it really is a place where a spirit can be refreshed as children smile, laugh and imagine.

    blog – syllable studio 2009

  • I take little stock in playground name-calling ...

    North Korea: Clinton 'funny lady, by no means intelligent' 2009

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