play up

verb

played up; playing up; plays up
Synonyms of play upnext

transitive verb

: emphasize
In the interview, try to play up your strengths.
also : exaggerate, overemphasize
It was only a small achievement but the CEO really played it up.

Examples of play up in a Sentence

that TV news program plays up sensational stories just to get higher ratings
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Tani Oluwaseyi and Liam Millar are out of the starting lineup, replaced by Cyle Larin, who will play up front, and Ali Ahmed. Andrew Greif, NBC news, 19 June 2026 Sound can also be manually configured to only play up front, if, say, someone was sleeping in the back, or only in the rear, if someone’s watching a movie that the driver doesn’t need to hear. Tim Stevens, Robb Report, 19 June 2026 Keserich plays up short commute times and relative affordability when pitching the region to businesses as a vice president of the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance. Alex Harring, CNBC, 19 June 2026 Cameron Lancaster played up front with Harry Kane for Tottenham’s academy from the age of 11 and made his Premier League debut before him. Cameron Lancaster, New York Times, 17 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for play up

Word History

First Known Use

1814, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of play up was in 1814

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Play up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20up. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.

Kids Definition

play up

verb

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