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
Even in a less spectacular season at the tip of a City side which did not always play to his strengths, Haaland still found the net 38 times in 52 club appearances.
—
Liam Twomey, New York Times, 11 June 2026
The league retroactively reviewed the no-call but decided not to upgrade the play to a flagrant on the 22-year-old French superstar.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 11 June 2026
With the Padres down 2-1 and none out in the seventh inning after doubles by Xander Bogaerts and Gavin Sheets chased the starting pitcher, manager Craig Stammen asked his two recent Pacific Coast League call-ups to play to their strengths.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 June 2026
The title refers to one such, a set of paintings Wong worked on for years but held off from exhibiting until 1993, not wanting to play to stereotype.
—Lori Waxman, Chicago Tribune, 10 June 2026
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Liam Twomey, New York Times, 11 June 2026
The league retroactively reviewed the no-call but decided not to upgrade the play to a flagrant on the 22-year-old French superstar.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 11 June 2026
With the Padres down 2-1 and none out in the seventh inning after doubles by Xander Bogaerts and Gavin Sheets chased the starting pitcher, manager Craig Stammen asked his two recent Pacific Coast League call-ups to play to their strengths.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 June 2026
The title refers to one such, a set of paintings Wong worked on for years but held off from exhibiting until 1993, not wanting to play to stereotype.
—Lori Waxman, Chicago Tribune, 10 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 15 Jun. 2026.
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