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
That video, which will be played to the jury, is extremely problematic for Mr. Sharpe.
—
Paulina Dedaj, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2025
Precious few bands can fill a stadium 52 years into their career — let alone play to an audience heavily populated by parents and their children, both generations sporting red devil horn headbands and cheering for 77-year-old singer Brian Johnson and white-haired guitar icon Angus Young, 70.
—Katherine Turman, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2025
These teams last met in September, playing to a scoreless draw.
—Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Apr. 2025
The Heights played to 6,002 yards for Barber last week, on the same day McIlroy launched his memorable Masters Tournament in Augusta.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for play to
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Paulina Dedaj, FOXNews.com, 22 Apr. 2025
Precious few bands can fill a stadium 52 years into their career — let alone play to an audience heavily populated by parents and their children, both generations sporting red devil horn headbands and cheering for 77-year-old singer Brian Johnson and white-haired guitar icon Angus Young, 70.
—Katherine Turman, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2025
These teams last met in September, playing to a scoreless draw.
—Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Apr. 2025
The Heights played to 6,002 yards for Barber last week, on the same day McIlroy launched his memorable Masters Tournament in Augusta.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Apr. 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 2 May. 2025.
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