play at
phrasal verb
played at; playing at; plays at
1
: to do (something) in a way that is not serious
They were only playing at trying to fix the problem.
2
chiefly British
: to play by pretending to be (someone or something)
She liked to play at doctors and nurses as a child.
—often used in the phrase play at being (something)boys playing at being soldiers
3
British
—used to say in an annoyed way that one does not know the reason for someone's behavior
What is he playing at?
Examples of play at in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Hurricanes play at Boston College on New Year's Day.
—
Newsweek, 26 Dec. 2024
Amad has also played at wing-back but has excelled further up the pitch under Amorim, while Noussair Mazraoui has impressed as a right-sided centre-back.
—Mark Critchley, The Athletic, 26 Dec. 2024
Florida Citrus Sports organizes the Pop-Tarts Bowl and the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, both played at 60,000-seat Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
—Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 26 Dec. 2024
Carey’s appearance marked the start of game day for the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers, playing at 1 p.m., as well as the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans, playing at 4:30 p.m.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 25 Dec. 2024
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Newsweek, 26 Dec. 2024
Amad has also played at wing-back but has excelled further up the pitch under Amorim, while Noussair Mazraoui has impressed as a right-sided centre-back.
—Mark Critchley, The Athletic, 26 Dec. 2024
Florida Citrus Sports organizes the Pop-Tarts Bowl and the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, both played at 60,000-seat Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
—Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 26 Dec. 2024
Carey’s appearance marked the start of game day for the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers, playing at 1 p.m., as well as the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans, playing at 4:30 p.m.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 25 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for play at
Dictionary Entries Near play at
Cite this Entry
“Play at.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20at. Accessed 2 Jan. 2025.
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