play to
phrasal verb
played to; playing to; plays to
1
: to behave or perform in a particular way for (someone or something) in order to get approval or attention
He didn't mean what he was saying. He was just playing to the crowd.
He loves publicity and plays to the cameras every chance he gets.
2
: to make use of (something)
a film that plays to stereotypes of housewives
In his latest album, he once again plays to his strengths as a classical musician.
Examples of play to in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Players build out details at the table during play to make the world feel more up to date and organic.
—
Rob Wieland, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
Although preoccupied with its war of choice in Ukraine, now in its fourth year, Moscow is simultaneously making a major play to expand political leverage on the continent.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2025
The stars aligned for actual plays to rise in the 2010s, owed to a zeitgeist where geek became chic.
—Eric Francisco, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2025
Before Michigan State senior center Szymon Zapala took two free throws, an official stopped play to run to the scorers table, and the public address announcer was forced to ask fans not to throw anything onto the court or risk a technical foul assessed to Maryland.
—Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for play to
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Rob Wieland, Forbes, 5 Mar. 2025
Although preoccupied with its war of choice in Ukraine, now in its fourth year, Moscow is simultaneously making a major play to expand political leverage on the continent.
—Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2025
The stars aligned for actual plays to rise in the 2010s, owed to a zeitgeist where geek became chic.
—Eric Francisco, Rolling Stone, 1 Mar. 2025
Before Michigan State senior center Szymon Zapala took two free throws, an official stopped play to run to the scorers table, and the public address announcer was forced to ask fans not to throw anything onto the court or risk a technical foul assessed to Maryland.
—Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for play to
Cite this Entry
“Play to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20to. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.
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