play out

verb

played out; playing out; plays out

transitive verb

1

a

: to perform to the end

play out a role

b

: use up, finish

play out the season

2

: unreel, unfold

… played out a length of line.

—Gordon Webber

intransitive verb

1

: to become spent or exhausted

a style that has played out

2

: develop, unfold

see how things play out

Synonyms of play out

• spend
• consume
• drain
• exhaust
• draw down
• run out of
• use up
• reduce
• absorb
• use

Examples of play out in a Sentence

we've finally played out the leftovers from that huge holiday meal

Recent Examples on the Web

The finale to the Red Raiders’ historic season was a 23-0 loss to Oregon on New Year’s Day, the quarterfinals of the playoffs; the way the game played out bruised an otherwise a near-flawless year that made Texas Tech nationally relevant. —Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Feb. 2026

Rarely do these pieces directly echo the two men’s interpersonal drama, but the information adds context to the actors’ enchanting movements, which are backed by gorgeous outfits and striking set design that accentuate the mythical tales being played out. —Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2026

However, the event functioned as a high pressure systems test playing out in public. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 20 Feb. 2026

Over the next two months, dozens if not hundreds of mock drafts will be published throughout the football stratosphere, with most analysts trying to project how the first round of the NFL Draft — set for Thursday night, April 23 — will play out. —Kansas City Star, 20 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Rhymes for play out

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout

Kids Definition

play out

verb

1

: to perform to the end

2

a

: to use up or finish

b

: to become exhausted : tire

3

: unreel, unfold