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

Angel Reese on playing at a WNBA Player of the Week level recently and playing against legend Nneka Ogwumike for the last time in Ogwumike’s 15-year WNBA career. — John W. Davis, Oc Register, 25 Aug. 2026

Sneed didn’t wear pads in practice until the final days of training camp and didn’t play at Tampa Bay. — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 25 Aug. 2026

Miller sought an injunction similar to the one former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia received, challenging eligibility rules that count seasons played at a junior college against a player’s four years of eligibility at a Division I school. — Matt Murschel, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 Aug. 2026

Barron, who played at Suffield Academy and then starred at Syracuse, playing multiple roles on defense during his college career, has always been the football guy’s football guy. — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 25 Aug. 2026

Rhymes for play at

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