make a play for
idiom
1
: to try to get (someone or something)
She made a play for the job, but she didn't get it.
2
: to try to start a romantic or sexual relationship with (someone)
He made a play for her.
Examples of make a play for in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
There had been speculation that Biles might make a play for the 2024 Games as a single-event specialist on the vault, in honor of her coaches, the French couple Laurent Landi and Cécile Canqueteau-Landi.
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Eren Orbey, The New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2024
Indeed, even as deaths from COVID-19 mounted and the economy slid deeper into recession, many of Bolsonaro’s supporters were urging him to make a play for even greater power.
—Brian Winter, Foreign Affairs, 11 Aug. 2020
Apollo was the latest to make a play for Paramount, getting in line behind Ellison’s Skydance, David Zaslav’s Warner Bros. Discovery, and Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group.
—Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2024
Is whatever left enough to make a play for another star in his prime?
Because make no mistake.
—Morten Stig Jensen, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for make a play for 
Eren Orbey, The New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2024
Indeed, even as deaths from COVID-19 mounted and the economy slid deeper into recession, many of Bolsonaro’s supporters were urging him to make a play for even greater power.
—Brian Winter, Foreign Affairs, 11 Aug. 2020
Apollo was the latest to make a play for Paramount, getting in line behind Ellison’s Skydance, David Zaslav’s Warner Bros. Discovery, and Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group.
—Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 19 Apr. 2024
Is whatever left enough to make a play for another star in his prime?
Because make no mistake.
—Morten Stig Jensen, Forbes, 27 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for make a play for
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'make a play for.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near make a play for
Cite this Entry
“Make a play for.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/make%20a%20play%20for. Accessed 29 Sep. 2024.
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