play the part
idiom
: to act the part of (a particular character) in a film, play, etc.
He often plays the part of the villain.
—often used figurativelyI've played the part of (the) devoted wife and mother, and now I want to do something more with my life.
He was playing the part of (the) gracious host.
Examples of play the part in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Swift is ready to play the part.
—
Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2025
In their heyday, Jake was the pinup, ready to play the part in which the music industry cast him, while drummer Vince was the artist—and the drug-abusing liability.
—Judy Berman, Time, 7 Sep. 2025
Still, Reeves didn’t just play the part for laughs.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2025
Turner will play the part in Phoebe Waller-Bridge's new live-action TV series based on the game.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for play the part
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Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 25 Sep. 2025
In their heyday, Jake was the pinup, ready to play the part in which the music industry cast him, while drummer Vince was the artist—and the drug-abusing liability.
—Judy Berman, Time, 7 Sep. 2025
Still, Reeves didn’t just play the part for laughs.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2025
Turner will play the part in Phoebe Waller-Bridge's new live-action TV series based on the game.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for play the part
Cite this Entry
“Play the part.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20the%20part. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
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