play dead

idiom

: to lie on one's back and pretend to be dead
She taught her dog to play dead.

Examples of play dead in a Sentence

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The referees didn’t originally rule it a recovery, blowing the play dead. Paul Dehner Jr., The Athletic, 16 Dec. 2024 Officials blew the play dead as incomplete, which negated Washington’s touchdown return. Pat Leonard, Hartford Courant, 3 Nov. 2024 Referees whistle play dead after a goalie catches or covers a puck shot in their direction. Kyle Stokes, Axios, 8 Oct. 2024 Experts urge different approaches during bear attacks: If a grizzly or brown bear charges, play dead, the National Park Service said. Celina Tebor, CNN, 7 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for play dead 

Dictionary Entries Near play dead

Cite this Entry

“Play dead.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20dead. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

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