as in to highlight
to indicate the importance of by centering attention on
that TV news program plays up sensational stories just to get higher ratings
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 up
Marina and Palisades both play up-tempo, feature 3-point shooters and depth.
—
Dan Albano, Oc Register, 7 Mar. 2026
On his Instagram page, Simonds appears to relish in playing up an overly-confident wrestler.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2026
The faux-seriousness of The Immortal Man is especially egregious when the film plays up the television show’s worst behaviors.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026
Natasha Zinko played up the fades of men’s blue jeans.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for play up
Dan Albano, Oc Register, 7 Mar. 2026
On his Instagram page, Simonds appears to relish in playing up an overly-confident wrestler.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2026
The faux-seriousness of The Immortal Man is especially egregious when the film plays up the television show’s worst behaviors.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026
Natasha Zinko played up the fades of men’s blue jeans.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for play up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for play up
Verb
-
Down 79-67, Johnson and Jokic engineered a 9-0 run highlighted by a Jokic 4-point play, interception and fast-break dunk in quick succession.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
15 Mar. 2026
-
These results highlight that classical computational chemistry methods remain surprisingly competitive, and in some cases could outperform quantum approaches, even with perfect quantum hardware.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
And in some cases, CEOs have less authority, as flatter organizations emphasize collaboration over top-down decision-making.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Rather than chronological or geographical groupings, Barnes emphasized formal relationships of light, line, and color across cultures and time periods.—
Iona Brannon,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Most babies will be fine, so no need to stress over the small stuff, and don’t let people pressure you into doing anything.—
Anna Moeslein,
Glamour,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Bess stressed that the department is in its 12th day of Spring Break deployment and arrests are down 21% from last year.—
Devoun Cetoute,
Miami Herald,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Tuesday’s game featured intentional clock-stopping, game-extending fouls by the Heat.—
Assistant Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
-
New offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik also comes from the same Shanahan coaching tree, and the offense should feature the wide-zone blocking scheme.—
David Furones,
Sun Sentinel,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Play up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/play%20up. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
