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
The Blue Jays were seeded seventh in 2007 but played at Hofstra because of commencement at Homewood that weekend.
—
Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 4 May 2026
Philly’s top three of Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George all played at an All-Star level over the seven games.
—Zack Cox, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2026
McCoy played at Texas from 2006 to 2009, breaking records as a Longhorn.
—Samantha Ketterer, Houston Chronicle, 3 May 2026
Would the Avs rather just play at 5-on-5 as much as possible?
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 2 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for play at
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Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 4 May 2026
Philly’s top three of Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George all played at an All-Star level over the seven games.
—Zack Cox, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2026
McCoy played at Texas from 2006 to 2009, breaking records as a Longhorn.
—Samantha Ketterer, Houston Chronicle, 3 May 2026
Would the Avs rather just play at 5-on-5 as much as possible?
—Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 2 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for play at
Cite this Entry
“Play at.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20at. Accessed 4 May. 2026.
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