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

Since 2020, Union Home Mortgage has been the title sponsor of the Gasparilla Bowl, the annual college football bowl game played at Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium. —Scott Soshnick, Sportico.com, 18 June 2025

However, that is the level that Sanders or Gabriel would have to play at to even win the starting job. —James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 June 2025

With record numbers of rounds played in three of the past four years and demand for tee times and resort play at elevated levels, Noteefy has helped an increasing number of operators refill cancellations, eliminate no-shows, optimize golfer booking behavior, and maximize revenue. —Erik Matuszewski, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025

One of Ellison’s highlights as a Jayhawk player was KU’s 90-88 four-overtime win against Kansas State in the championship game of the Big Eight Holiday Tournament played at Municipal Auditorium. —Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 17 June 2025

Rhymes for play at

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