play hard to get

phrase

: to pretend that one is not interested in having a romantic or sexual relationship with someone in order to make that person more attracted to one

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Play hard to get.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20hard%20to%20get. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster