play down

verb

played down; playing down; plays down

transitive verb

: to attach little importance to : minimize

He humbly played down his role in the research.

Synonyms of play down

• dismiss
• minimize
• run down
• talk down
• diminish
• dump on
• write off

Examples of play down in a Sentence

out of sheer envy, she would always play down her sister's accomplishments

if you play down your part in the project, you won't get the credit you deserve

Recent Examples on the Web

But, powered by veteran guard CJ McCollum and some gutsy defensive plays down the stretch, the Hawks won 107-106 to even the series at one game apiece. —Lauren Williams, AJC.com, 21 Apr. 2026

Yet Trump has shown little interest in inflation and played down the rising energy costs caused by the war prompting Iran to effectively shutter the Strait of Hormuz to oil and natural gas tankers. —Josh Boak, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026

Asked if City are underdogs, Guardiola played down the label. —Reuters, NBC news, 17 Apr. 2026

Trump later attempted to play down the comparison while refusing to apologize to the pope, but Catholic leaders nonetheless protested loudly against the post, which was later removed. —Tristan Bove, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1930, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for play down

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown

Kids Definition

play down

verb

: to attach little importance to : minimize