play to

phrasal verb

played to; playing to; plays to

: 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.

: 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 Ways To Be An Ally While men are statistically more commonly in positions of power in tech companies, male leaders and hiring managers have the biggest role to play to create a more equitable environment for women and affect change that improves the entire industry. —

Alex Ford, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024 His Mubi acquired short The Red Sea Makes Me Wanna Cry, about a grieving German woman who travels to the Red Sea town where her lover has just died, played to acclaim in Cannes Directors’ Fortnight in 2023. —

Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 17 Oct. 2024 Their latest traveled 28 yards, needing seven plays to do so. —

Andrew Greif, NBC News, 14 Oct. 2024 Bo Nix converts fourth-and-2 with a 37-yard pass play to Devaughn Vele, and then hits Troy Franklin for a 2-yard touchdown on the very next play. —

Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, 13 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for play to

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'play to.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.