as in highlighted
to indicate the importance of by centering attention on
that TV news program plays up sensational stories just to get higher ratings
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Recent Examples of played up
Del Rio played up-and-coming lawyer Billy Martinez on the first season of Matlock.
—
Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Mar. 2026
Natasha Zinko played up the fades of men’s blue jeans.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 3 Mar. 2026
Roy Nwaisser, who chairs the Encino Neighborhood Council’s public safety committee, said that Flock often played up the shortage of police officers during its presentations to residents in his neighborhood.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2026
The film’s press campaign has, quite reasonably, played up the magnificence of Skarsgård’s body in leather and winked at the transgressiveness on display.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2026
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
Other commercials played up the surreal.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 9 Feb. 2026
The governor’s campaign played up her Patriots fandom this week in an email that featured a photo of the governor wearing a Drake Maye jersey.
—State House News Service, Boston Herald, 6 Feb. 2026
In between explaining the Capex increase, executives on Wednesday's call played up AI wins from the quarter.
—Jennifer Elias, CNBC, 5 Feb. 2026
Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Mar. 2026
Natasha Zinko played up the fades of men’s blue jeans.
—Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 3 Mar. 2026
Roy Nwaisser, who chairs the Encino Neighborhood Council’s public safety committee, said that Flock often played up the shortage of police officers during its presentations to residents in his neighborhood.
—Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2026
The film’s press campaign has, quite reasonably, played up the magnificence of Skarsgård’s body in leather and winked at the transgressiveness on display.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2026
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
Other commercials played up the surreal.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 9 Feb. 2026
The governor’s campaign played up her Patriots fandom this week in an email that featured a photo of the governor wearing a Drake Maye jersey.
—State House News Service, Boston Herald, 6 Feb. 2026
In between explaining the Capex increase, executives on Wednesday's call played up AI wins from the quarter.
—Jennifer Elias, CNBC, 5 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for played up
Verb
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JPMorgan highlighted that the oil shock is also behaving differently from past cycles.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
18 Mar. 2026
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The past two years have really highlighted the important of having an experienced specialist on your side.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Norton also emphasized that electric rates are tightly regulated by the state.—
Nora O'Neill,
Charlotte Observer,
17 Mar. 2026
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Lina Zhang, chief editor at streamer Youku, said the use of artificial intelligence is currently most effective in optimizing production workflows and technical processes, but emphasized that content remains the primary driver.—
Lin Ying-Hsuan,
Variety,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Atom Power isn’t pivoting to data centers so much as expanding in the industry, Atom Power leaders stressed.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
11 Mar. 2026
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The Denver event, like so much art of the early 2020s, was born of postponements, fits and starts, tests, masks, stressed performers and all the other COVID restrictions and scrambled audience perceptions.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Two years later, that number has more than doubled, with more than 150 Latin music acts featured at the iconic festival, now in its 40th year.—
Andrea Flores,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
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Their artwork will also be featured at Sunset Flip, an exhibition in the Miami Design District, curated by NADA board member Adam Abdalla in partnership with Nina Johnson.—
James Varsallone,
Miami Herald,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Played up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/played%20up. Accessed 18 Mar. 2026.
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