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

Hands down, the movie is playing to a strong general audience. — Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 2 Aug. 2026

In other National Women's Soccer League matches, the Utah Royals crushed the Portland Thorns 5-1, and and the Boston Legacy played to 1-1 draw with the Denver Summit. — ABC News, 2 Aug. 2026

Last March, the band played to a capacity crowd of 250 at New York’s Mercury Lounge. — Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 31 July 2026

In September 2024, state economists attributed the drop in play to a decline in scratch-off sales as consumers faced inflationary pressures coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic period, which saw a spike in Lottery purchases. — Jim Turner, Miami Herald, 30 July 2026

Rhymes for play to

• accrue
• ado
• ainu
• aircrew
• airscrew
• anew
• askew
• baboo
• babu
• bamboo
• beaucoup
• bijou