play up

verb

played up; playing up; plays up
Synonyms of play upnext

transitive verb

: emphasize
In the interview, try to play up your strengths.
also : exaggerate, overemphasize
It was only a small achievement but the CEO really played it up.

Examples of play up in a Sentence

that TV news program plays up sensational stories just to get higher ratings
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
From the jump, his strategy was to intentionally play up the most Marty-like aspects of his star image. Nate Jones, Vulture, 16 Mar. 2026 The City manager made several bold tactical changes for the first leg at the Bernabeu, returning Nico O’Reilly to left-back and starting both Jeremy Doku and Savinho on the wings, as well as Antoine Semenyo, who played up front alongside Erling Haaland. James Horncastle, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026 Following a devastating turn on The Wire, Jordan played up the drama on the ABC soap opera All My Children. Ken Simmons, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Mar. 2026 Chris made a third and cleaned the play up. Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for play up

Word History

First Known Use

1814, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of play up was in 1814

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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

Kids Definition

play up

verb

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