PLAY OUT Synonyms: 63 Similar and Opposite Words

play out

verb

Definition of play out

as in to spend

to make complete use of we've finally played out the leftovers from that huge holiday meal

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of play out Window closing to find survivors These are the kinds of scenes playing out across La Guaira state, with people milling around in the streets after being left homeless, uncertain of what to do next. — Fernando Narro Roman, NPR, 28 June 2026 Cook, who has remained in the post while the case plays out, called the allegations a pretext to oust her over monetary policy differences. — Will Dunham, USA Today, 28 June 2026 How does this play out in the employment market? — Joe McKendrick, Forbes.com, 27 June 2026 These same dynamics are now playing out in litigation over social media and youth mental health. — Alex Smolak, STAT, 27 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for play out

Recent Examples of Synonyms for play out

Verb

Charles Duhigg is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and the author of The Power of Habit, which spent over three years on bestseller lists and has been translated into 40 languages, and Smarter Faster Better, also a bestseller.

— Big Think, Big Think, 2 Aug. 2026
Syeda Sultana, chief operating officer at the digital marketing platform Vettted, spent a decade managing a global sustainability program.

— Christopher Elliott, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of spend

Verb

Manufacturing meth on-island is pretty much impossible — there aren’t many places to hide a meth lab — so most meth that reaches Hawaii comes from the mainland, as is the case with most products consumed on the islands.

— Guthrie Scrimgeour, Rolling Stone, 2 Aug. 2026
Enrico Rivetto, whose eponymous winery produces three Barolos and one Barbaresco, says locally Barbaresco was consumed more often than Barolo because of its greater drinkability.

— Mike DeSimone, Robb Report, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of consume

Verb

If the United States decided to send ground forces into Iran on the scale necessary to keep the Strait of Hormuz open, defending those forces could exhaust the remaining stocks of advanced air-defense systems.

— Phillips Payson O’Brien, The Atlantic, 3 Aug. 2026
Both player exhausted their eligibility as seniors last season and went undrafted, but with the new ruling, could find their way back to Orlando.

— Matt Murschel, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of exhaust

Verb

Many suspect that oil supplies have held up only because inventories are being drawn down – which is certainly true to some degree.

— George Calhoun, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026
Europe came into the spring with gas storage at its lowest starting point in four years, drawn down by a cold winter and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

— John Kerry, semafor.com, 23 July 2026

Definition of draw down

Verb

Recipe Tips for Shredded Zucchini Casserole This recipes uses two pounds of zucchini—a great way to use up a garden or farmers’ market haul.

— Torie Cox, Southern Living, 27 July 2026
Didymo blooms use up a lot of oxygen and alter the food web, according to Taylor.

— Hannah Smith July 25, Idaho Statesman, 25 July 2026

Definition of use up

Verb

For example, shifting the Fed’s portfolio toward short-term Treasury bills and away from long-term bonds or mortgage-back securities could reduce market price distortion and limit the government’s role in allocating capital across sectors.

— David Zhang, Forbes.com, 3 Aug. 2026
And China, with its massive oil inventory, has been drawing down its reserves and reduced its crude imports by more than 4 million barrels a day, according to JPMorgan.

— David Goldman, CNN Money, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of reduce

Verb

Often the team doing the steady, protective work behind the scenes is the one absorbing the blame while another team gets the credit.

— ByRene Madden, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
In this method, physicists don’t try to predict how often muons will emit and absorb groups of quarks.

— Matt von Hippel, Quanta Magazine, 29 July 2026

Definition of absorb

Browse Nearby Words

play (on or upon)

play out

plays

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“Play out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/play%20out. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of play out

verb

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