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

The winners brackets for both tournaments will be played at Grand Casino Arena. —Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 28 Feb. 2026

Stanford comes to South Bend on Wednesday and the Fighting Irish play at Boston College on Saturday. —ABC News, 28 Feb. 2026

Senior forward Jeremiah Oden, who had started the previous nine games, didn’t play at all for the first time this season. —Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2026

Explore the waterways on kayaks and paddle boards, and let the kiddos play at the arcade and the new mini-golf course. —Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2026

Rhymes for play at

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