play at

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

Wade, a Wichita, Kansas, native played at Kansas State in college before going undrafted in 2019 and landing in Cleveland on a two-way deal. — Tom Ignudo, CBS News, 1 July 2026

Brilliant start undermined The first half hour of the match was played at the pace Ivory Coast desired with Les Elephants using their high press and long passes to consistently put Norway on its heels. — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 June 2026

But then James kept delaying Father Time and playing at an All-Star caliber level. — Mark Medina, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026

After a successful head-first slide on a contested play at second base, Kuroda-Grauer ended up with a double, his third MLB hit and first extra-base hit. — Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 30 June 2026

Rhymes for play at

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