play to
phrasal 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
Vásquez has smartly trimmed the play to 90 intermissionless minutes and stuffed it with amusing references to ’90s-era music, movies, TV, slang, fashion, fads and food.
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Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Aug. 2025
Throughout his 70-year career, Jiménez brought his accordion playing to a variety of genres through his collaborations with everyone from Doug Sahm, Linda Ronstadt, Ry Cooder, the Rolling Stones, Buck Owens, and Dwight Yoakam.
—Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 1 Aug. 2025
His best throw came after the defense jumped offsides, giving him a free play to test the secondary.
—James Boyd, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2025
After the opening kickoff ended up as a fumble by the Lions, Lance needed five plays to go 28 yards for a 4th-and-2 touchdown pass to Will Dissly to get the first touchdown of the year on the board for Los Angeles.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for play to
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Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Aug. 2025
Throughout his 70-year career, Jiménez brought his accordion playing to a variety of genres through his collaborations with everyone from Doug Sahm, Linda Ronstadt, Ry Cooder, the Rolling Stones, Buck Owens, and Dwight Yoakam.
—Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 1 Aug. 2025
His best throw came after the defense jumped offsides, giving him a free play to test the secondary.
—James Boyd, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2025
After the opening kickoff ended up as a fumble by the Lions, Lance needed five plays to go 28 yards for a 4th-and-2 touchdown pass to Will Dissly to get the first touchdown of the year on the board for Los Angeles.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 1 Aug. 2025
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 20 Aug. 2025.
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