play at

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

The match was played at Kidderminster’s tiny Aggborough Stadium and not at West Ham’s sprawling one in London, where the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympics had been held. —Literary Hub, 18 May 2026

Harvey Barnes interjected and darted forward, crossing for Nick Woltemade, but West Ham were playing at 33rpm to Newcastle’s 45. —George Caulkin, New York Times, 18 May 2026

Inside, Layla gets things ready with the help of her 12-year-old brother Laith (Rashad Khaled), who unthinkingly sings along to the jingle-like propaganda song coming from the radio while some of his peers outside play at being soldiers. —Jay Weissberg, Variety, 17 May 2026

The impact of the walkout, the first for the LIRR since a two-day strike in 1994, fell on sports fans who wanted to see the Yankees and Mets play at Citi Field in Queens. —Philip Marcelo, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2026

Rhymes for play at

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