play at

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

It will be played at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff rather than at Wembley this season because of concerts at England’s national stadium. — Art De Roché, New York Times, 22 July 2026

The one that kept playing at the pregame that hasn’t left your mind. — Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 21 July 2026

Dowdell is on his fourth stop in as many years of his college career, playing at Oregon in 2023 before transferring to Nebraska for the next season. — Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 21 July 2026

During Argentina’s semifinal victory, against England, Messi, who is still playing at the unearthly age of thirty-nine, spent the opening hour of the match being buffeted and bypassed by the action. — Sam Knight, New Yorker, 20 July 2026

Rhymes for play at

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