Dictionary

playground en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈpleɪɡɹaʊnd/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
• (US) audio

Etymology

From play + ground. Compare Middle English playstede (“playground”) from Old English pleġstede.

Meanings

1. (qualifier:outdoors) A large open space for children to play in, usually having dedicated play equipment (such as swings and slides).
   • Where else in the world can you pre-order sushi and fondue on some of the trains, travel in family carriages equipped with mini-playgrounds, or use a request stop button at some small stations? Where else can you hear the announcement: "The train at Platform 4 is ten minutes late due to an incident in another country," as I did once at the Swiss station of Spiez? 2025 October 15, Vitali Vitaliev, “The recipe for Swiss bliss”, in RAIL, number 1046, page 68:
   • The kids have to go to the playground during recess, no matter the weather.
   • The local council have set up a new playground, equipped with slides, swings, and a climbing wall.
2. (figuratively) Any physical or metaphysical space in which a person or organization has free rein to do as they please.
   • Kjelsås (six miles) marks the end of the suburbs, and the line immediately plunges into Nordmarka. This vast untamed area of forest and mountain (much of it over 2,000 ft. above sea level), interspersed with innumerable lakes, large and small, is known as Oslo's playground. 1955 July, M. D. Greville, “To the Valdres by Rail”, in Railway Magazine, pages 457-458:
   • The exclusive tropical island was a millionaire's playground.
3. A sandbox for testing calls to an application programming interface.

Forms

Deriveds

playgroundful · playground taunt · playground rumor · adventure playground · playground ball

Relateds

playland · playpen · playstead · playstructure · playhouse · playfield · playroom

Translations (148)

pt playground (space to do what one pleases) · nl speelterrein (space to do what one pleases) · ur بازیچہ طفلاں (open space for children to play in) · de Schulhof (open space for children to play in) · cs hřiště (open space for children to play in) · ru шко́льный двор (open space for children to play in) · fa-ira زَمینِ بازی (open space for children to play in) · de Spielwiese (space to do what one pleases) · fr aire de jeux (open space for children to play in) · uk дитя́чий майда́нчик (open space for children to play in) · eu jolas parkea (open space for children to play in) · hi खेल का मैदान (open space for children to play in) · bg игри́ще (open space for children to play in) · ro loc de joacă (open space for children to play in) · it parco gioco (open space for children to play in) · nl speelterrein (open space for children to play in) · uk дитмайда́нчик (open space for children to play in) · es campo libre (space to do what one pleases) · ja 遊び場 (open space for children to play in) · es zona de juego/recreación/recreo (infantil) (open space for children to play in) · da sandkasse (open space for children to play in) · ur بازیچہ اطفال (open space for children to play in) · tr oyun alanı (open space for children to play in) · ca àrea de joc infantil (open space for children to play in) · ur تَفْرِیح گاہ (open space for children to play in) · nb lekeplass (open space for children to play in) · bg игри́ще (space to do what one pleases) · az uşaq meydançası (open space for children to play in) · cy buarth chwarae (open space for children to play in) · sh ìgralīšte (open space for children to play in) · sk detské ihrisko (open space for children to play in) · sv lekplats (space to do what one pleases) · pt parque infantil (open space for children to play in) · cs dětské hřiště (open space for children to play in) · he גן שעשועים (open space for children to play in) · hy խաղահրապարակ (open space for children to play in) · fr cour de récré (open space for children to play in) · be дзетпляцо́ўка (open space for children to play in) · ka სათამაშო მოედანი (open space for children to play in) · ca pati escolar (open space for children to play in) · nl speelplein (open space for children to play in) · el παιδική χαρά (open space for children to play in) · el αυλή (open space for children to play in) · ky оюн аянтчасы (open space for children to play in) · fa-ira مُحَوَّطِهٔ بازی کودَکان (open space for children to play in) · de Spielplatz (open space for children to play in) · kk балалар алаңы (open space for children to play in) · lo ສະໜາມເດັກຫຼິ້ນ (open space for children to play in) · et mänguväljak (open space for children to play in) · ca pati d'escola (open space for children to play in) · es patio lúdico/recreativo (infantil) (open space for children to play in) · km វិហារដ្ឋាន (open space for children to play in) · el παιχνιδότοπος (open space for children to play in) · pt recreio (open space for children to play in) · ru игровая площадка (open space for children to play in) · sh ѝгралӣште (open space for children to play in) · bg де́тска площа́дка (open space for children to play in) · ur بازیچہ (open space for children to play in) · tr deneme tahtası (space to do what one pleases) · cmn 操場 /操场 (open space for children to play in) · nl speeltuin (open space for children to play in) · ky балдар аянтчасы (open space for children to play in) · mk игралиште (open space for children to play in) · fi leikkikenttä (space to do what one pleases) · is róló (open space for children to play in) · sv lekplats (open space for children to play in) · tr okul bahçesi (open space for children to play in) · cmn 遊樂園 /游乐园 (open space for children to play in) · da legeplads (open space for children to play in) · da sandkasse (space to do what one pleases) · ro teren de joc (open space for children to play in) · it parco (open space for children to play in) · ar مَلْعَب أَطْفَال (open space for children to play in) · nl speelplaats (open space for children to play in) · lv rotaļlaukums (open space for children to play in) · ca pati d'esbarjo (open space for children to play in) · ko 놀이터 (open space for children to play in) · ru игрова́я площа́дка (space to do what one pleases) · uz oʻyin maydonchasi (open space for children to play in) · tg майдончаи бачагон (open space for children to play in) · eu jolastoki (open space for children to play in) · is róluvöllur (open space for children to play in) · hu játszótér (open space for children to play in) · vi sân chơi (open space for children to play in) · be дзіця́чая пляцо́ўка (open space for children to play in) · tr oyun sahası (open space for children to play in) · fi temmellyskenttä (space to do what one pleases) · nb skolegård (open space for children to play in) · da åbent område (open space for children to play in) · ur کھیل کا مَیدان (open space for children to play in) · sq shesh lojërash (open space for children to play in) · my ကစားကွင်း (open space for children to play in) · kk ойын алаңы (open space for children to play in) · el παιδική χαρά (space to do what one pleases) · cmn 游樂園 /游乐园 (space to do what one pleases) · ca pati (open space for children to play in) · fr plaine de jeux (open space for children to play in) · pt parquinho (open space for children to play in) · fi leikkipuisto (open space for children to play in) · it parco giochi (open space for children to play in) · bg двор (open space for children to play in) · scn parcu-joca (open space for children to play in) · sh ѝгралӣште (space to do what one pleases) · sv lekpark (open space for children to play in) · es área de juegos (open space for children to play in) · sh ìgralīšte (space to do what one pleases) · nn leikeplass (open space for children to play in) · pdt Spälplauz (open space for children to play in) · pl plac zabaw (open space for children to play in) · fi leikkikenttä (open space for children to play in) · mk игралиште (space to do what one pleases) · cmn 遊樂場 /游乐场 (open space for children to play in) · uz bolalar maydonchasi (open space for children to play in) · scn chiazza (open space for children to play in) · ur بازی گاہ (open space for children to play in) · sl igrišče (open space for children to play in) · de Spielwiese (open space for children to play in) · th สนามเด็กเล่น (open space for children to play in) · sw kiwanja (open space for children to play in) · el παιδότοπος (open space for children to play in) · da tumleplads (space to do what one pleases) · fi leikkipaikka (open space for children to play in) · sv skolgård (open space for children to play in) · ca parc infantil (open space for children to play in) · mi papa tākaro (open space for children to play in) · dsb grajkanišćo (open space for children to play in) · nb leikeplass (open space for children to play in) · is leikvöllur (open space for children to play in) · hi क्रीड़ास्थल (open space for children to play in) · es espacio infantil (open space for children to play in) · tg майдончаи бозӣ (open space for children to play in) · fa-ira تَفْریحْگاه (open space for children to play in) · ru де́тская площа́дка (open space for children to play in) · hsb hrajkanišćo (open space for children to play in) · ms taman permainan (open space for children to play in) · lt žaidimų aikštelė (open space for children to play in) · de Kinderspielplatz (open space for children to play in) · fr cour de récréation (open space for children to play in) · sk ihrisko (open space for children to play in) · ru детплоща́дка (open space for children to play in) · eu haur parkea (open space for children to play in) · tl palaruan (open space for children to play in) · he מגרש משחקים (open space for children to play in) · fr terrain de jeu (open space for children to play in) · cmn 遊樂場 /游乐场 (space to do what one pleases) · eo ludejo (open space for children to play in) · pt playground (open space for children to play in) · tk oýun meýdançasy (open space for children to play in)