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

But Wood said there is not much to stop agents from rearresting an individual with a final deportation order after that process plays out. —Arkansas Online, 24 Jan. 2026

Depending on how the lottery plays out this year, could history repeat itself in Milwaukee? —Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026

That mission plays out daily in his robotics classroom, where many students walk in unsure of themselves. —Milena Malaver, Miami Herald, 23 Jan. 2026

But the details of how the change will play out remain unclear, contributing to anxiety, parents and providers told the Statesman. —Becca Savransky, Idaho Statesman, 23 Jan. 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