play down
verb
played down; playing down; plays down
: to attach little importance to : minimize
He humbly played down his role in the research.
Examples of play down in a Sentence
out of sheer envy, she would always play down her sister's accomplishments
if you play down your part in the project, you won't get the credit you deserve
Recent Examples on the Web
But Edwards led the way with a big 16-point fourth quarter, and the Timberwolves made the key plays down the stretch.
—
Jared Weiss, New York Times, 11 May 2026
The news came as BlackRock and JPMorgan played down fears of an AI bubble.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 6 May 2026
Epstein’s private island Lutnick has played down his ties to Epstein, who was once his neighbor in New York City.
—Stephen Groves, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2026
But what if Landry, who barely played down the stretch last season after injuring his knee in October, can’t get back to 100%?
—Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for play down
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Jared Weiss, New York Times, 11 May 2026
The news came as BlackRock and JPMorgan played down fears of an AI bubble.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 6 May 2026
Epstein’s private island Lutnick has played down his ties to Epstein, who was once his neighbor in New York City.
—Stephen Groves, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2026
But what if Landry, who barely played down the stretch last season after injuring his knee in October, can’t get back to 100%?
—Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 27 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for play down
Cite this Entry
“Play down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20down. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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