play up
verb
played up; playing up; plays up
: emphasize
In the interview, try to play up your strengths.
Examples of play up in a Sentence
that TV news program plays up sensational stories just to get higher ratings
Recent Examples on the Web
Next-generation geothermal developers are staying the course but playing up the industry’s crossovers with oil and gas.
—
IEEE Spectrum, 28 Jan. 2026
Sherwood can play up and down the Sharks’ lineup and contribute on the power play and penalty kill.
—Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2026
In the debate, both Crockett and Talarico played up their ties to labor, calling unions essential to protecting workers from corporate abuses, job losses and rising costs.
—Gromer Jeffers Jr, Dallas Morning News, 26 Jan. 2026
Netflix’s promos for Star Search have played up the fact that many of the contestants from the original went on to find success, from Brad Garrett and Ray Romano to Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears.
—Josef Adalian, Vulture, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for play up
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IEEE Spectrum, 28 Jan. 2026
Sherwood can play up and down the Sharks’ lineup and contribute on the power play and penalty kill.
—Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 27 Jan. 2026
In the debate, both Crockett and Talarico played up their ties to labor, calling unions essential to protecting workers from corporate abuses, job losses and rising costs.
—Gromer Jeffers Jr, Dallas Morning News, 26 Jan. 2026
Netflix’s promos for Star Search have played up the fact that many of the contestants from the original went on to find success, from Brad Garrett and Ray Romano to Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears.
—Josef Adalian, Vulture, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for play up
Cite this Entry
“Play up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20up. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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