play to
verb
played to; playing to; plays to
1
: to behave or perform in a particular way for (someone or something) in order to get approval or attention
He didn't mean what he was saying. He was just playing to the crowd.
He loves publicity and plays to the cameras every chance he gets.
2
: to make use of (something)
a film that plays to stereotypes of housewives
In his latest album, he once again plays to his strengths as a classical musician.
Examples of play to in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Earlier, a pair of Harry Kane goals — his ninth and 10th at World Cups — had twice put England ahead, only for some sloppy defending and smart attacking play to give Croatia a route back.
—
Andrew Greif, NBC news, 19 June 2026
At Prisk Elementary, students have four periods of play a day, varying between structured and unstructured play to prod early childhood development — how to take a turn, how to invite play, how to accept that invitation, Hickox said.
—Cierra Morgan, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2026
These moves seek to address the brain drain of top technical talent following the invasion of Ukraine by playing to a traditional Russian strength—upskilling members of a population of some 140 million people, which has historically seen success in the mathematical sciences.
—Nikita Ostrovsky, Time, 18 June 2026
The stigma and the constant comparison of the level of play to the men’s game hinder interest; consequently, the audience barely grows, and revenue and development fail to materialize.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 18 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for play to
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.
Andrew Greif, NBC news, 19 June 2026
At Prisk Elementary, students have four periods of play a day, varying between structured and unstructured play to prod early childhood development — how to take a turn, how to invite play, how to accept that invitation, Hickox said.
—Cierra Morgan, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2026
These moves seek to address the brain drain of top technical talent following the invasion of Ukraine by playing to a traditional Russian strength—upskilling members of a population of some 140 million people, which has historically seen success in the mathematical sciences.
—Nikita Ostrovsky, Time, 18 June 2026
The stigma and the constant comparison of the level of play to the men’s game hinder interest; consequently, the audience barely grows, and revenue and development fail to materialize.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 18 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for play to
Cite this Entry
“Play to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20to. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
