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

Yet perhaps the real challenge to literary biography today is the account that does play to the gallery but uses fictional anecdotes. — Literary Hub, 20 July 2026

Here’s a story from 2020 looking back at Dorsey’s amazing comeback win on the final play to beat Taft in the City final at the Coliseum in 2001. — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2026

Sierra Canyon’s Myles Baker intercepted a pass on the final play to seal a 29-21 victory and ignite multiple celebrations on the turf at Mission Viejo High. — Dan Albano, Oc Register, 19 July 2026

Following is not necessarily a bad thing, assuming the government does not listen to the lobbyists and instead plays to the United States’ comparative advantage. — Christian Catalini, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026

Rhymes for play to

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