Definition of play about
British
1
: to have sex with someone who is not one's husband, wife, or regular partner
- He's not the kind of guy who plays about.
- She's been playing about on her husband.
- She's been playing about with one of her coworkers.
2
: to deal with or treat something in a careless way
- When it comes to protecting his family, he doesn't play about.
- You can't play about with diabetes; it's a very serious disease.
3
: to use or do something in a way that is not very serious
- It's time to stop playing about and get busy.
- I spent the evening playing about on the piano/computer/Internet.
- I'm not really a painter; I just like to play about with paints.
