play up
verb
played up; playing up; plays up
: emphasize
In the interview, try to play up your strengths.
Examples of play up in a Sentence
that TV news program plays up sensational stories just to get higher ratings
Recent Examples on the Web
The film’s press campaign has, quite reasonably, played up the magnificence of Skarsgård’s body in leather and winked at the transgressiveness on display.
—
Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2026
Repossi finessed the rose gold used in its latest spiraling Blast high jewelry pieces, playing up its yellow gleam under a gradient of orange gemstones.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 20 Feb. 2026
Beth Goldenberg’s costume design plays up the early 1980s and helps to define each character, such as the loud, pushy prints that Barbara wears.
—Mary Damiano, Miami Herald, 16 Feb. 2026
There has been some speculation that Lagrange’s future could be as a reliever, which would let his electric arsenal play up in bursts.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 15 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for play up
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Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2026
Repossi finessed the rose gold used in its latest spiraling Blast high jewelry pieces, playing up its yellow gleam under a gradient of orange gemstones.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 20 Feb. 2026
Beth Goldenberg’s costume design plays up the early 1980s and helps to define each character, such as the loud, pushy prints that Barbara wears.
—Mary Damiano, Miami Herald, 16 Feb. 2026
There has been some speculation that Lagrange’s future could be as a reliever, which would let his electric arsenal play up in bursts.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 15 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for play up
Cite this Entry
“Play up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20up. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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