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

Crosby didn’t play at all in the preseason, but wreaked havoc in practice. — Sam Warren, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026

Some lawmakers assert that the lyrics in these songs promote violence, including Mexico City lawmakers who, in May, passed a law barring the songs from being played at public events. — Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2026

Last season was Mitchell’s fourth in college, having played at Duke in his first two years, and his eligibility for this season was uncertain. — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 31 Aug. 2026

The last time the Colombian singer-songwriter played at the Pyramids was in 2007. — Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 31 Aug. 2026

Rhymes for play at

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