"play a role" meaning in English

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "plays a role",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "playing a role",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "played a role",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "played a role",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "play a rôle",
      "tags": [
        "alternative",
        "dated"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "play a role (third-person singular simple present plays a role, present participle playing a role, simple past and past participle played a role)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "78 22",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "83 17",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "86 14",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "."
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              4,
              17
            ]
          ],
          "text": "She played a role in organizing the protest.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To have an effect or influence on a situation or outcome; to contribute to something."
      ],
      "id": "en-play_a_role-en-verb-2sg7sttR",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To have an effect or influence on a situation or outcome; to contribute to something."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "play a part"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Film",
          "orig": "en:Film",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Theater",
          "orig": "en:Theater",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To portray a character in a performance."
      ],
      "id": "en-play_a_role-en-verb--ivoHDLx",
      "links": [
        [
          "theater",
          "theater"
        ],
        [
          "film",
          "film#Noun"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(theater, film) To portray a character in a performance."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "broadcasting",
        "entertainment",
        "film",
        "lifestyle",
        "media",
        "television",
        "theater"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "play a role"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English verbs",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "plays a role",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "playing a role",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "played a role",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "played a role",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "play a rôle",
      "tags": [
        "alternative",
        "dated"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "*"
      },
      "expansion": "play a role (third-person singular simple present plays a role, present participle playing a role, simple past and past participle played a role)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English idioms",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "."
        },
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              4,
              17
            ]
          ],
          "text": "She played a role in organizing the protest.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To have an effect or influence on a situation or outcome; to contribute to something."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic) To have an effect or influence on a situation or outcome; to contribute to something."
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "play a part"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "en:Film",
        "en:Theater"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To portray a character in a performance."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "theater",
          "theater"
        ],
        [
          "film",
          "film#Noun"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(theater, film) To portray a character in a performance."
      ],
      "topics": [
        "broadcasting",
        "entertainment",
        "film",
        "lifestyle",
        "media",
        "television",
        "theater"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "play a role"
}