How to Use play dead in a Sentence

play dead

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• In the scene, Hunter was told to lay down in the dirt and play dead.
  — Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
• If a black bear makes contact, do not play dead, the DNR advised.
  — Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 28 May 2023
• Play dead, because black bears eat things that play dead or are dead.
  — Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 21 June 2022
• But the snakes of Golem Grad island — whose main predators are birds — often play dead.
  — Asher Elbein, New York Times, 7 May 2024
• Jaylen Wright appeared to stretch the ball over the goal line, but officials had ruled his forward progress was stopped and blew the play dead.
  — Creg Stephenson | [e-mail], al, 30 Dec. 2021
• To play dead, lie as still as possible on your stomach and protect the back of your neck with your hands.
  — Bailey Berg, Anchorage Daily News, 28 June 2021
• The contestants are told to play dead and slump over, which makes the disparity even more goofy.
  — Paul Tassi, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023
• Make loud noises, such as yelling, whistling or banging pots and pans. Do not run and never play dead.
  — Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 24 June 2023
• The closest official -- Forte -- whistled the play dead. Play over.
  — Chris Fedor, cleveland, 5 Feb. 2022
• The catch would’ve been ruled good — if only officials hadn’t ruled the play dead before the ball ever took flight.
  — Jonas Shaffer, baltimoresun.com, 29 Aug. 2020
• But, if this isn’t enough to drive away the predators, the malodorous animals play dead.
  — Elizabeth Gamillo, Discover Magazine, 29 Mar. 2024
• The officials never called the play dead and Doran ran 92 yards unopposed for the score.
  — Alex Harrison, The Enquirer, 15 Nov. 2021
• When threatened, smaller armadillos roll up in a ball and play dead.
  — Marylou Tousignant, Washington Post, 30 Jan. 2023
• Playing dead may dissuade a grizzly or brown bear, but never play dead around a black bear.
  — Laken Brooks, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2021
• The referees did not call the play dead until right as Jackson spiked the ball, with eight seconds remaining.
  — Daniel Oyefusi, baltimoresun.com, 1 Nov. 2020
• Beetle adults can also fall down and play dead, though some might take flight, and their larvae usually don’t move much.
  — Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 8 Aug. 2024
• Case in point: at a Thursday morning practice, the punt team sprinted down the field to cover a kick before Wilson whistled the play dead.
  — Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 1 Sep. 2022
• But a select few decide to stay put and play dead instead—and the dice snake sells it particularly well.
  — Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 19 June 2024
• If a predatory encounter is inevitable, spray the area around you with bear spray and be prepared to play dead — lie on your stomach with your hands clasped around your neck.
  — Annie Vainshtein, SFChronicle.com, 7 Oct. 2020
• The pup delivered a poignant performance in a pivotal scene and even trained for two months to learn how to play dead effectively.
  — Andrew Blankstein, NBC News, 11 Mar. 2024
• Unlike safety advice for encountering bears, do not act timid or play dead in front of a cat.
  — Jason Hahn, Peoplemag, 23 Mar. 2023
• Thus adorned, and instructed to play dead, Acevedo spent much of the morning lying motionless on grass.
  — New York Times, 28 June 2022
• The players are paid to play themselves; Iraqis and Afghans who fled war and young soldiers play dead and wounded in graphic detail as if walking off the set of a horror movie.
  — Donny Bajohr, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Dec. 2020
• If you are attacked by a brown or grizzly bear, leave your backpack on and play dead by laying flat on your stomach with your hands behind your neck and legs spread.
  — Alaa Elassar, CNN, 8 Aug. 2020
• Patriots linebacker Shilique Calhoun plucked the ball out of the air and began running toward the end zone, but officials whistled the play dead.
  — Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA TODAY, 6 Oct. 2020
• However, the game clock stopped with 3.0 seconds left and an official whistled the play dead before Hurst attempted the shot, which was ruled off.
  — oregonlive, 15 Jan. 2023
• Even though the referees blew the play dead, negating a potential touchdown return by Humphrey, the fumble gave a struggling offense a prime chance to score.
  — Ryan McFadden, Baltimore Sun, 21 Nov. 2022
• But because officials blew the play dead when Nix’s spike/fumble hit the ground, Arkansas had no chance to recover a fumble.
  — Creg Stephenson | [e-mail], al, 28 Oct. 2022
• Bear attacks are rare -- but if attacked by grizzly bear, the NPS recommends people play dead by laying flat on their stomachs with their legs spread out.
  — Leah Asmelash, CNN, 23 Sep. 2020
• When threatened, Joro spiders will play dead for around a minute but can stay motionless for as long as an hour, according to a study by the University of Georgia.
  — Jennifer Vilcarino, ABC News, 5 June 2024

Last Updated: 21 Dec 2024