1.  playing(n = noun.act) - the act of playing a musical instrument;
is a kind of musical performance
has particulars: bowing, piping, stopping, transposition
Derived forms verb play₆, verb play₃, verb play₇

2.  playing(n = noun.act) - the action of taking part in a game or sport or other recreation;
is a kind of action
has particulars: bowling, catching, golfing, pitching
Derived forms verb play₁₆, verb play₁, verb play₃₄, verb play₁₁, verb play₅

3.  playing(n = noun.act) acting, performing, playacting - the performance of a part or role in a drama;
is a kind of activity, performing arts
is a part of performance
has particulars: characterization, enactment, personation, portrayal, impersonation, personation, method, method acting, dumb show, mime, pantomime, business, byplay, stage business, skit, hamming, overacting, heroics, reenactment, roleplaying
Derived forms verb play₄, verb play₂₅

   a. & vb. n. of Play. [1913 Webster]

N  musician, artiste, performer, player, minstrel, bard, accompanist, accordionist, instrumentalist, organist, pianist, violinist, flautist, harper, fiddler, fifer, trumpeter, piper, drummer, catgut scraper, band, orchestral waits, vocalist, melodist, singer, warbler, songster, chaunter, chauntress, songstress, cantatrice, choir, quire, chorister, chorus, chorus singer, liedertafel, nightingale, philomel, thrush, siren, bulbul, mavis, Pierides, sacred nine, Orpheus, Apollo, the Muses Erato, Euterpe, Terpsichore, tuneful nine, tuneful quire, composer, performance, execution, touch, expression, solmization, playing, musical, adagio, andante.

carillon playing, playing area, playing card, playing cards, playing field, playing period