play at

phrasal verb

played at; playing at; plays at

1

: to do (something) in a way that is not serious

They were only playing at trying to fix the problem.

2

chiefly British : to play by pretending to be (someone or something)

She liked to play at doctors and nurses as a child.

—often used in the phrase play at being (something)

boys playing at being soldiers

3

British

—used to say in an annoyed way that one does not know the reason for someone's behavior

What is he playing at?

Examples of play at in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Shooting the 3 Providence coach Kim English played at Missouri from 2008-12 before getting a two-year taste of the NBA with the Detroit Pistons. —Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Nov. 2025

The Wolves expect more production from the forward, who was playing at an all-star level this season prior to Minnesota’s last three games. —Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 27 Nov. 2025

And those are venues that he’s never typically played at. —Julio Cesar Valdera Morales, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Nov. 2025

Alabama plays at Auburn with a spot in the Southeastern Conference title game on the line. —Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 26 Nov. 2025

Rhymes for play at

• begat
• bobcat
• chitchat
• doormat
• ducat
• eclat
• format
• hazmat
• muskrat
• nonfat
• polecat
• thereat