play at

phrasal verb

played at; playing at; plays at

1

: to do (something) in a way that is not serious

They were only playing at trying to fix the problem.

2

chiefly British : to play by pretending to be (someone or something)

She liked to play at doctors and nurses as a child.

—often used in the phrase play at being (something)

boys playing at being soldiers

3

British

—used to say in an annoyed way that one does not know the reason for someone's behavior

What is he playing at?

Examples of play at in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Perhaps the most comparable setup to Sac State moving to Cal Expo would be San Diego State, whose football team plays at Snap Dragon Stadium, roughly 5 miles off campus. —Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 17 Aug. 2025

Among linemen who played at least 10 snaps, Priebe and Daniels were graded the two best run blockers. —Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 17 Aug. 2025

Should Stafford be unable to play at the beginning of the year, the Rams could suffer through a sluggish start to the season. —Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Aug. 2025

Chiefs fullback Carson Steele was ruled to have been 13 inches short of the line to gain on a fourth-down play at Lumen Field. —Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 16 Aug. 2025

Rhymes for play at

• begat
• bobcat
• chitchat
• doormat
• ducat
• eclat
• format
• hazmat
• muskrat
• nonfat
• polecat
• thereat