: action engaged in on the side while the main action proceeds (as during a dramatic production)
Examples of byplay in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Their relationship evolves over time, defined by amusing byplay at the start.
—
Don Aucoin, BostonGlobe.com, 14 Nov. 2022
All this byplay has predictably undermined confidence that the deal will ever happen.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2022
Few films have so poignantly portrayed the mother-daughter byplay.
—Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Dec. 2020
But the real show here is the peerlessly entertaining Poitier-Steiger byplay.
—Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Apr. 2020
The reverberations will roll out for years to come, affecting the state of presidential power, the national political climate and the byplay between the two parties in Washington.
1.
—Gerald F. Seib, WSJ, 1 Feb. 2020
Maybarduk saw the byplay between Trump and Pfizer as a reflection of the ineffectiveness of the blueprint.
—Michael Hiltzik, latimes.com, 11 July 2018
Their amusing byplay is comforting, which translates to some degree as predictable, but familiarity is part of the appeal.
—Bill Keveney, USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2018
Because the formal byplay of the schema is of more interest to the creators than creating distinctive characters, the lovers never quite take on lives of their own, and Harder’s libretto has a generic quality.
—Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle, 7 Mar. 2018
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.
Don Aucoin, BostonGlobe.com, 14 Nov. 2022
All this byplay has predictably undermined confidence that the deal will ever happen.
—Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2022
Few films have so poignantly portrayed the mother-daughter byplay.
—Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Dec. 2020
But the real show here is the peerlessly entertaining Poitier-Steiger byplay.
—Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Apr. 2020
The reverberations will roll out for years to come, affecting the state of presidential power, the national political climate and the byplay between the two parties in Washington.
1.
—Gerald F. Seib, WSJ, 1 Feb. 2020
Maybarduk saw the byplay between Trump and Pfizer as a reflection of the ineffectiveness of the blueprint.
—Michael Hiltzik, latimes.com, 11 July 2018
Their amusing byplay is comforting, which translates to some degree as predictable, but familiarity is part of the appeal.
—Bill Keveney, USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2018
Because the formal byplay of the schema is of more interest to the creators than creating distinctive characters, the lovers never quite take on lives of their own, and Harder’s libretto has a generic quality.
—Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle, 7 Mar. 2018
Cite this Entry
“Byplay.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/byplay. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share