played out 1 of 2

Definition of played outnext

played out

2 of 2

verb

past tense of play out

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 played out
Adjective
This is all being played out amid the backdrop of Netflix’s audacious swoop for WBD, which will give Netflix control over two of the world’s biggest streaming services. Max Goldbart, Deadline, 8 Jan. 2026 This vital conversation of what to do about it has played out in these chambers for well over a decade. Sacramento Bee Staff, Sacbee.com, 8 Jan. 2026
Verb
This is the fourth consecutive spring that some version of this scene has played out on Chicago’s lakefront. Desmon Yancy, Chicago Tribune, 2 June 2026 Lippard also saw the moment as empowering for artists’ communities; this vision played out in the art and curatorial work of artists like Carlos Villa, Juan Sánchez, Jaune Quick-to-See-Smith, and the members of the Heresies Collective. Katy Siegel, Artforum, 2 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for played out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for played out
Adjective
  • My wife lowers her gaze as if tired, rubbing the side of her glass with her fingers.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 June 2026
  • The first step is to avoid the tired trap of pitting a liberal arts education against a technical or practical one.
    Jamie Merisotis, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026
Verb
  • Toomey spent an afternoon with Hulst in his final weeks.
    Scott M. Reid, Oc Register, 30 May 2026
  • Crow and Creepy, the call signs of two soldiers from the 24th Mechanized Brigade, have spent 344 and 334 days respectively, non-stop, in frontline dugouts.
    Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 30 May 2026
Adjective
  • International cave-diving teams are navigating jagged, zero-visibility passages while weighing whether to guide the exhausted, untrained villagers underwater or wait for receding floodwaters, echoing dilemmas from Thailand’s 2018 cave rescue.
    Jintamas Saksornchai, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
  • Rice looked exhausted a few weeks back but returned to form as the season reached its climax.
    Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 29 May 2026
Verb
  • That would leave the US emergency oil reserve with the least amount of oil since the early 1980s, when the economy was smaller and consumed less energy.
    Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 9 June 2026
  • These microscopic structures accelerate the chemical breakdown without being consumed by the reaction.
    Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 8 June 2026
Adjective
  • The district can’t afford it and taxpayers are tapped out, which is leading to inevitable cuts to staff positions.
    The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2026
  • The Cavs pretty much tapped out.
    Geoff Clark OutKick, FOXNews.com, 25 May 2026
Verb
  • Tied with Charley Hull, Gaby Lopez and In Gee Chun at seven under, Korda drained a birdie on 17 to take the lead before her par putt of 18 curled into the hole.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 June 2026
  • The Glen Canyon Institute and canyon activists for years have argued that Lake Powell should be drained and the Colorado River allowed to again flow freely through Glen Canyon.
    Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 7 June 2026
Adjective
  • Though not as big or catastrophic as the asteroid theorized to have wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago, Apophis would cause widespread destruction up to several hundred kilometers from its impact site.
    Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2026
  • Article continues below Jen (voiced by Stephen Garlick), who is a member of another, near-extinct race called Gelflings, was raised by Mystics after Skeksis wiped out his extended family.
    David Faris, TheWeek, 16 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • The Knicks are down by 23 points early in the second quarter, and are only shooting 33% from the field, and Madison Square Garden has been reduced to murmurs.
    Andrew Greif, NBC news, 11 June 2026
  • Language barriers may soon be greatly reduced, allowing for a historically impossible level of information sharing and growth.
    Jessica Melugin, Mercury News, 10 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Played out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/played%20out. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.

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