play out

verb

played out; playing out; plays out

transitive verb

1

a

: to perform to the end

play out a role

b

: use up, finish

2

: unreel, unfold

played out a length of line

—Gordon Webber

intransitive verb

1

: to become spent or exhausted

2

: develop, unfold

see how things play out

Synonyms

• absorb
• burn
• consume
• deplete
• devour
• drain
• draw down
• exhaust
• expend
• spend
• use up

Examples of play out in a Sentence

we've finally played out the leftovers from that huge holiday meal

Recent Examples on the Web

This is another positive trait and a prerequisite for any major shift to possibly play out. —Frank Cappelleri, CNBC, 20 Nov. 2024

The intrigue: As the saga has played out in the headlines and the court of public opinion, MetroHealth used Boutros' repayment of the $1.9 million, plus interest, as evidence of his wrongdoing. —Sam Allard, Axios, 20 Nov. 2024

Regardless of how the season plays out, Army is bucking the trend in this NIL and transfer portal era. —Tim Casey, Forbes, 20 Nov. 2024

Fast forward to 2024, and similar scenes are playing out at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium. —Meg Walters, Glamour, 20 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Kids Definition

play out

verb

1

: to perform to the end

2

a

: to use up or finish

b

: to become exhausted : tire

3

: unreel, unfold