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

With the competing alliances at a 3-3 standoff, two other advantages were played at the tribal council, but to no avail, thanks to some good ole betrayal. —Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 11 Dec. 2025

On October 8, 2024, Saida was playing at Ryan Park in Detroit with other kids when prosecutors say Lansky walked up, slashed her throat with a knife and then took off. —Alysia Burgio, CBS News, 11 Dec. 2025

Meanwhile, group rivals Belgium and New Zealand will play at the same time in Vancouver. —Ben Church, CNN Money, 11 Dec. 2025

Winning their remaining games will help, and McCarthy playing at his best level with teammates will assist in the goal. —Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025

Rhymes for play at

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