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
Go out there, pound the zone, make guys put the ball in play to get on base and limit the walk.
—
Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 June 2026
One of the best to ever play to game.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 4 June 2026
Preston is a threatening creator with good offensive instincts who played to just under a point per game in the WHL before this season.
—Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 3 June 2026
Athletes watch their plays to see what worked and what didn’t work.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 3 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for play to
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Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 June 2026
One of the best to ever play to game.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 4 June 2026
Preston is a threatening creator with good offensive instincts who played to just under a point per game in the WHL before this season.
—Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 3 June 2026
Athletes watch their plays to see what worked and what didn’t work.
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 3 June 2026
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 5 Jun. 2026.
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