play at

phrasal 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

Kane was part of the Bayern squad that played at the Club World Cup this summer, reaching the quarter-finals before losing to Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain. —Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025

The unauthorized recordings were played at Harrisburg International Airport in Pennsylvania, Windsor International Airport in Ontario, and at Kelowna International Airport and Victoria International Airport in British Columbia. —Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025

George Clinton and the Parliaments played at my junior high school. —Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2025

The senior played at Northfield and Roseville the past two seasons, but was welcomed with open arms in Rosemount from day one. —Mike Cook, Twin Cities, 16 Oct. 2025

Rhymes for play at

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