1
as in to dismiss
to express scornfully one's low opinion of
out of sheer envy, she would always play down her sister's accomplishments
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to minimize
to reduce in apparent importance
if you play down your part in the project, you won't get the credit you deserve
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of play down
Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary with the Department of Homeland Security, played down the injury and denied the allegations in statements to The Times this week.
—
Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2026
Sheinbaum, known for her cool, steely demeanor, sought to play down his comments.
—Mary Beth Sheridan, CNN Money, 9 Jan. 2026
Not playing down the stretch was a function of stiffness.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
Continue reading … POLITICS NO ENTRY ZONE – Israel shuts door on Turkey in Gaza as Trump praises Erdogan, plays down clash.
—FOXNews.com, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for play down
Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 16 Jan. 2026
Sheinbaum, known for her cool, steely demeanor, sought to play down his comments.
—Mary Beth Sheridan, CNN Money, 9 Jan. 2026
Not playing down the stretch was a function of stiffness.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Jan. 2026
Continue reading … POLITICS NO ENTRY ZONE – Israel shuts door on Turkey in Gaza as Trump praises Erdogan, plays down clash.
—FOXNews.com, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for play down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for play down
Verb
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Marty Singer, attorney for the spouses at the time, dismissed the controversy.—
Alexandra Del Rosario,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Feb. 2026
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Yesterday, Judge Aran Subramanian dismissed some portions of the suit but allowed other claims to proceed in the DOJ’s efforts to break up Live Nation and Ticketmaster.—
Steven J. Horowitz,
Variety,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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This minimizes the chance of birds or pests removing the seeds or wind or rain blowing or washing them away.—
Lee Wallender,
The Spruce,
15 Feb. 2026
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Instead of hurrying to break up tents and scatter RVs, Lee and Oakland’s interim homelessness chief Sasha Hauswald want city workers to focus on minimizing trash and human waste around encampments.—
Grant Stringer,
Mercury News,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Several reservoirs, including Loch Lomond, the main water supply for the city of Santa Cruz, and Lake Cachuma, the largest reservoir in Santa Barbara County, were 100% full on Wednesday, with water running down their spillways.—
Paul Rogers,
Mercury News,
11 Feb. 2026
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Hill has the speed and athleticism to run down ball carriers sideline to sideline, and the size (6-3, 238) and attitude to meet them in the hole with authority.—
Joseph Person,
New York Times,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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This film adaptation cut out the second half of the book, downplayed the violence committed by Olivier’s character, Heathcliff, and played up the romance between Heathcliff and Oberon’s character, Cathy.—
Becky Little,
Time,
13 Feb. 2026
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Fennell shows little interest in this aspect of the novel and very much downplays its impact on how Heathcliff is treated as an outsider.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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After Jacksonville, after years of fans feeling talked down to and reporters feeling undermined, this silly little event served a purpose for a change.—
Jerry Brewer,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
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Heckerling and the incredible cast never talk down to the audience, creating main characters that viewers root for, despite the obvious digs at the ultra-rich.—
Mike Barnes,
HollywoodReporter,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Whatever your preconceived notions about Feldman are, Hume’s film will expand and challenge them; the movie’s greatness lies in its ability to capture all of Feldman’s contradictions and self-destructiveness, empathizing with him without soft-pedaling his sins.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
23 Jan. 2026
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But a communications strategy designed to soft-pedal radioactive contamination of food won’t make America healthy.—
Washington Post,
Washington Post,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But some analysts say Iran's unprecedented weakness at home could diminish the flexibility of its country's leadership to make the kinds of compromises necessary for a deal.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
17 Feb. 2026
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The emergence of cable, podcasts and streaming audio and video platforms — none of which are subject to FCC restrictions in terms of content — have greatly diminished traditional broadcast media’s dominance in the marketplace.—
Cerys Davies,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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This can’t be written off as a post-pandemic idiosyncrasy.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
18 Feb. 2026
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The amount taxpayers can write off is reduced by $200 for each $1,000 in income above the $100,00 and $200,000 income limits.—
Mary Cunningham,
CBS News,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Play down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/play%20down. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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