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

The game might have been less stressful for them had Ecuador simply beaten Curaçao in its previous match, rather than play to a 0-0 tie. — Tim Rohan, NBC news, 26 June 2026

Roupp helped his own cause by making a nifty play to turn two in the sixth, spearing a comebacker behind his back before firing to shortstop Willy Adames to kick-start a 1-6-3 double play. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 25 June 2026

Belgium played to draws in each of its first two games. — CBS News, 24 June 2026

The 41-year-old Ronaldo failed to score in Portugal’s first game as the team played to a surprising 1-1 draw with Congo. — ABC News, 23 June 2026

Rhymes for play to

• accrue
• ado
• ainu
• aircrew
• airscrew
• anew
• askew
• baboo
• babu
• bamboo
• beaucoup
• bijou