play the part
idiom
: to act the part of (a particular character) in a film, play, etc.
He often plays the part of the villain.
—often used figurativelyI've played the part of (the) devoted wife and mother, and now I want to do something more with my life.
He was playing the part of (the) gracious host.
Examples of play the part in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
And though Connery won the first film role, Fleming eventually got to see Niven play the part in the 1967 adaptation of Casino Royale.
—
Alexandra Schonfeld, Peoplemag, 19 Mar. 2024
Sewell also didn’t immediately agree to play the part of the royal.
—Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2024
And chemistry reads are always weird because, by that point, anyone who has been called to that round could play the part.
—Yvonne Villarreal, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Feb. 2024
The Maestro helmer revealed to listeners that after approached Stern, 69, to play the part of Bobby, the two seriously thought about the idea — including having Stern shave his head.
—Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 29 Nov. 2023
Someone needed to approach Goldberg to play the part, so Bazawule made the call.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 29 Dec. 2023
Grammy winner Megan Thee Stallion, a bastion of female bravado, agreed to play the part.
—Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Oct. 2023
Others show up every weekend, in a different freaking costume, ready to bow and scrape to me and play the part.
—Mike Klingaman, Baltimore Sun, 18 Sep. 2023
Who’s going to play the part of the Native American character?
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 9 Sep. 2023
Alexandra Schonfeld, Peoplemag, 19 Mar. 2024
Sewell also didn’t immediately agree to play the part of the royal.
—Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2024
And chemistry reads are always weird because, by that point, anyone who has been called to that round could play the part.
—Yvonne Villarreal, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Feb. 2024
The Maestro helmer revealed to listeners that after approached Stern, 69, to play the part of Bobby, the two seriously thought about the idea — including having Stern shave his head.
—Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 29 Nov. 2023
Someone needed to approach Goldberg to play the part, so Bazawule made the call.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 29 Dec. 2023
Grammy winner Megan Thee Stallion, a bastion of female bravado, agreed to play the part.
—Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Oct. 2023
Others show up every weekend, in a different freaking costume, ready to bow and scrape to me and play the part.
—Mike Klingaman, Baltimore Sun, 18 Sep. 2023
Who’s going to play the part of the Native American character?
—Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 9 Sep. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'play the part.' 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 the part
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“Play the part.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20the%20part. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
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