play at

phrasal verb

played at; playing at; plays at

1

: to do (something) in a way that is not serious

They were only playing at trying to fix the problem.

2

chiefly British : to play by pretending to be (someone or something)

She liked to play at doctors and nurses as a child.

—often used in the phrase play at being (something)

boys playing at being soldiers

3

British

—used to say in an annoyed way that one does not know the reason for someone's behavior

What is he playing at?

Examples of play at in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Hellebuyck’s play at the 4 Nations gave the impression that playing in a high-pressure environment may not be an issue this spring. —Shayna Goldman, New York Times, 1 May 2025

And just take it one day at a time, one play at a time. —Steve Silverman, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025

The Sendai, Japan, native has 11 career wins on tour, and has played at the Travelers in each of the past two years, finishing tied for 13th in 2023 and tied for 23rd last season. —Kels Dayton, Hartford Courant, 30 Apr. 2025

That trend already spiraled into real-world hostility in 2024; while the song played at a bar in Germany, a crowd reportedly yelled slurs at a Black woman and punched her in the face, with one man allegedly Nazi-saluting. —Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 30 Apr. 2025

Rhymes for play at

• begat
• bobcat
• chitchat
• doormat
• ducat
• eclat
• format
• hazmat
• muskrat
• nonfat
• polecat
• thereat