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
Jim and Jeff have played down concerns after Meta recently lost two social media addiction court cases.
—
Matthew J. Belvedere, CNBC, 9 Apr. 2026
Barrasso said the Senate plans to coordinate closely with the House and played down the divides.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 9 Apr. 2026
And while many fund managers have sought to play down the sector’s concentration in software, the Wall Street Journal reported this week that four of the biggest funds, including Blue Owl, have far more exposure to software than their public filings suggest.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 2 Apr. 2026
Tehran has played down the prospect of talks or that any breakthrough was imminent as Pakistan acts as an intermediary.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for play down
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Matthew J. Belvedere, CNBC, 9 Apr. 2026
Barrasso said the Senate plans to coordinate closely with the House and played down the divides.
—Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 9 Apr. 2026
And while many fund managers have sought to play down the sector’s concentration in software, the Wall Street Journal reported this week that four of the biggest funds, including Blue Owl, have far more exposure to software than their public filings suggest.
—Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 2 Apr. 2026
Tehran has played down the prospect of talks or that any breakthrough was imminent as Pakistan acts as an intermediary.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 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 10 Apr. 2026.
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