play politics

idiom

disapproving
: to say or do things for political reasons instead of doing what is right or what is best for other people
She's been accused of playing politics with the investigation.

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Recently, the Trump administration introduced rule changes designed to limit the ability of investment managers to play politics with their clients’ retirement funds. Andrew Stuttaford, National Review, 18 Dec. 2020 So long as lawmakers are willing to play politics with the lives of these vulnerable kids, the NCAA had better be willing to act and direct millions of dollars into other states. Nancy Armour, USA TODAY, 14 Apr. 2021 Now is not the time for our leaders and public servants to play politics with people’s lives or refuse to take science seriously. Ben Tobin, The Courier-Journal, 18 Nov. 2020 The memo stoked suspicions that the administration was going to play politics with the pandemic, rushing a vaccine to the market to bolster its chances. Jerry Schwartz, chicagotribune.com, 8 Nov. 2020 But some Democrats accused their GOP counterparts of using the hearing to play politics ahead of a critical election. Tom Benning, Dallas News, 28 Oct. 2020 The way Lake and Trump play politics couldn’t be more different from the way the affable and uplifting Reagan conducted himself. Robert Robb, CNN, 31 Oct. 2022 The filing accused Attorney General Merrick Garland of using the search to play politics with the November elections. Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY, 26 Aug. 2022 His platform drew a key endorsement from Republican Gov. Doug Ducey, who called him a trustworthy candidate who's not seeking to play politics with the office. Mary Jo Pitzl, The Arizona Republic, 2 Aug. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'play politics.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near play politics

Cite this Entry

“Play politics.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20politics. Accessed 9 Jun. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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