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
Players make plays at the end of the day.
—
Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2025
The Olympic basketball games will also be played at the Intuit Dome.
—Jenna West, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2025
What music is playing at the fair?
—Craig Shoup, Nashville Tennessean, 4 Sep. 2025
Plair actually played at the University of North Carolina for the Tar Heels.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for play at
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Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2025
The Olympic basketball games will also be played at the Intuit Dome.
—Jenna West, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2025
What music is playing at the fair?
—Craig Shoup, Nashville Tennessean, 4 Sep. 2025
Plair actually played at the University of North Carolina for the Tar Heels.
—Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for play at
Cite this Entry
“Play at.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20at. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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