Skip to main content
Though most commonly used with reference to rapping/MCing to a beat, how an artist plays with the acoustics or meaning of words for artistic effect within song, written verse, poem or freestyle

This includes the constructing of bars/lines with:

words of double/triple meaning for humour or effect.

words that are not obviously recognisable as rhymes to one another when pronounced correctly yet may share assonance and there for can be used in place of standard rhymes structurally with in a verse.

Also multiple rhyme patterns within lines added for show effect and cohesion.

Wordplay is one of the technical areas that can be assessed when judging how technically skilled an rapper/MC is.

Pharaohe Monch,Big L,Big Pun, Eminem are some examples of MC's whose work can be particually rich in wordplay.
he my sell allot of albums but he aint got good wordplay
wordplay by Kunnin August 21, 2006
When you gotta masturbate at work against your will cause of a big inappropriate boner.
+ Hey boss, here are your prognostics for next week. By the way, while I was doing this I got a boner.
- Well there is nothing we can do, if you hard then you hard, just workplay!

+ Hey Jasmine, nice dress. It really accentuates your body

- You like it?
+ Yes!
- Well if you hard then you hard, do you want me to help you workplay?

+ Hey Joey, are you done putting in your numbers? Because my gave me hell of a boner...
- Well you know, if you hard then you hard. Just workplay!
Workplay by Connor Godson September 19, 2019

teacher's wordplay

A joke made by school teacher with the aim of threatening his/her pupils in a stylish manner. These jokes fall flat on their face 100% of the time and only result in the class taking the teacher even less seriously. This disciplinary technique was pretty much outdated before they even started using it, yet still it is resorted to by teachers across the globe who can't control a class for shit.
Examples of teacher's wordplay:

Teacher: "OK, I can see we're having a lovely discussion here... perhaps you can come back and continue your lovely discussion at lunchtime!"
Pupils: "Ha, good one sir."

Teacher: "Right, if you keep talking, you'll be talking your self into a detention."
Pupils: "Ouch, that was cold blooded, sir."

Teacher: "Well, you're all chatting away, so you must all be finished! I guess it's time I set you some extra work!"
Pupils: "Ha, excellent wordplay, sir."

Teacher: "Odd, I asked for silence, but that's not my idea of silence."
Pupils: "I bet it isn't, sir!"

Teacher: "You haven't quite got the hang of being quiet. Maybe we can come back at lunchtime and practice it?"
Pupil: "Ha-de-fucking-ha, sir."
work & play have come together to form the word workplay. Simply this is the convergance of both play and work, where work becomes play for you and you play at your work (and you can play to win if you choose).
An example of work play can be found - someone is working and they choose to decide to make their job/work a game and act like they are playing/ having fun at it...

Workplay is generally time associated to activities where you earn money while playing/ enjoying yourself/ having fun.... It is your choice though, right?
workplay by Thomas Green August 28, 2006
When you play around with words to have 2 meanings.

Here are some examples i heard before
wordplay examples
"Ya got 2pac dreams but keep yur head up"
"wearing you out, just another casual-tea(casualty)"

wordplay by s3b4k May 30, 2006
The art of playing on words and how words come together during freestyle rap. Might involve Punches, if not seperetly indicated.

See freestlye
That was some illin wordplay, man!
wordplay by Xeneth July 18, 2005