play down

verb

played down; playing down; plays down

transitive verb

: to attach little importance to : minimize

He humbly played down his role in the research.

Synonyms of play down

• dismiss
• minimize
• run down
• talk down
• diminish
• dump on
• write off

Examples of play down in a Sentence

out of sheer envy, she would always play down her sister's accomplishments

if you play down your part in the project, you won't get the credit you deserve

Recent Examples on the Web

If a team has one or zero subs left, a red-card offence would result in them playing down a man. — The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 22 July 2026

Weber’s account does not play down the violence and humiliation of the process. — Nikhil Krishnan, New Yorker, 20 July 2026

Yamal has always played down the comparison, focusing instead on being the best version of himself. — Ben Church, CNN Money, 19 July 2026

One thing O’Connell and Withers agreed upon early on was to play down the appearance of Cyrano’s nose. — David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1930, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for play down

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown

Kids Definition

play down

verb

: to attach little importance to : minimize