play at

phrasal verb

played at; playing at; plays at

: to do (something) in a way that is not serious

They were only playing at trying to fix the problem.

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

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 The 62nd edition will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the Atlanta Falcons. —

Wayne Sterling, CNN, 15 Oct. 2024 Sweat Tour 2024 setlist:Every song Charli XCX and Troye Sivan played at Phoenix concert Need a break? —

Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 14 Oct. 2024 The film also played at Telluride, which is considered ground zero for launching an Oscar campaign. —

Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Oct. 2024 In 1992, Hay was asked to play at a new Los Angeles venue, Largo, by its owner, Mark Flannigan. —

Glenn Peoples, Billboard, 10 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for play at

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'play at.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.