play dead

idiom

: to lie on one's back and pretend to be dead
She taught her dog to play dead.

Examples of play dead in a Sentence

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The Bills were fighting for a playoff spot in December 1975 when head linesman Jerry Bergman whistled a play dead, nullifying a fumble by the Dolphins' Mercury Morris. Mike Sando, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2026 One of the bacteria, Tersicoccus phoenicis, is capable of playing dead to survive starvation and other stressors. Devika Rao, TheWeek, 9 Jan. 2026 More likely, Congress will play dead again. Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Jan. 2026 More likely, Congress will play dead again. Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 5 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for play dead

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“Play dead.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20dead. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.

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