as in commentary
a series of explanations or observations on something (as an event)
on Monday mornings she usually gives her coworkers a detailed play-by-play on how her weekend date went
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for play-by-play
Noun
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The Courant’s commentary article from The New York Times about the Iran war is overly simplistic.—
Letters to the Editor,
Hartford Courant,
14 Mar. 2026 -
The filmmaker, known for marrying smart social commentary with weirdly believable magical realism, appears to be doubling down on what’s working for him.—
Mikey O'Connell,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In his analysis, between a quarter and a third of Republicans voted for the Democratic candidate, Taylor Rehmet.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
15 Mar. 2026
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Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
15 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Play-by-play.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/play-by-play. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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