as in highlighting
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 playing up
On his Instagram page, Simonds appears to relish in playing up an overly-confident wrestler.
—
Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2026
Repossi finessed the rose gold used in its latest spiraling Blast high jewelry pieces, playing up its yellow gleam under a gradient of orange gemstones.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 20 Feb. 2026
Lately, Laine noted, the WWE’s star villain Becky Lynch has been using some familiar-sounding language while playing up her status as a sore loser.
—Michael Ballaban, CNN Money, 14 Feb. 2026
The cuddly canines and spirited mutts making up Team Fluff and Team Ruff will battle for the coveted Lombarky Trophy, while also playing up for the cameras in hopes of finding their forever home.
—Bebe Hodges, Cincinnati Enquirer, 8 Feb. 2026
Eighteen months apart, the two sisters played on the same soccer team growing up, Logan playing up one year and Sammy playing up two.
—Rebecca Tauber, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2026
Next-generation geothermal developers are staying the course but playing up the industry’s crossovers with oil and gas.
—IEEE Spectrum, 28 Jan. 2026
En route to his Week 10 assignment in Tampa in 2001, Fox’s lead NFL analyst may have been preaching to the choir—the reporter who took down those words was with the Chicago Tribune—but the big fella seated at the front of the Madden Cruiser wasn’t just playing up the hype man role.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 16 Jan. 2026
Even as wedding registries shift and honeymoon funds replace fine china, antique case pieces and modern iterations of china cabinets are on the rise again—dovetailing with modern maximalism’s emphasis on playing up your home’s personality and the design world’s recent sweet spot for nostalgia.
—Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 16 Jan. 2026
Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2026
Repossi finessed the rose gold used in its latest spiraling Blast high jewelry pieces, playing up its yellow gleam under a gradient of orange gemstones.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 20 Feb. 2026
Lately, Laine noted, the WWE’s star villain Becky Lynch has been using some familiar-sounding language while playing up her status as a sore loser.
—Michael Ballaban, CNN Money, 14 Feb. 2026
The cuddly canines and spirited mutts making up Team Fluff and Team Ruff will battle for the coveted Lombarky Trophy, while also playing up for the cameras in hopes of finding their forever home.
—Bebe Hodges, Cincinnati Enquirer, 8 Feb. 2026
Eighteen months apart, the two sisters played on the same soccer team growing up, Logan playing up one year and Sammy playing up two.
—Rebecca Tauber, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2026
Next-generation geothermal developers are staying the course but playing up the industry’s crossovers with oil and gas.
—IEEE Spectrum, 28 Jan. 2026
En route to his Week 10 assignment in Tampa in 2001, Fox’s lead NFL analyst may have been preaching to the choir—the reporter who took down those words was with the Chicago Tribune—but the big fella seated at the front of the Madden Cruiser wasn’t just playing up the hype man role.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 16 Jan. 2026
Even as wedding registries shift and honeymoon funds replace fine china, antique case pieces and modern iterations of china cabinets are on the rise again—dovetailing with modern maximalism’s emphasis on playing up your home’s personality and the design world’s recent sweet spot for nostalgia.
—Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 16 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for playing up
Verb
-
The Kremlin has since received thousands of the drones and begun producing them based on Iranian designs, highlighting their reproducible and scalable design.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
5 Mar. 2026
-
His opponent James Fishback — a relative political unknown who has used racist and white nationalist rhetoric throughout his campaign — is highlighting the generational divide around extremism on the right in Florida.—
Claire Heddles,
Miami Herald,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
This is neutral, velvety black with extreme shine, emphasizing health and reflection to create depth that feels fluid rather than harsh.—
Amanda Le,
InStyle,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Tobin voiced a need to not just add pass rush but fill a significant leadership void on that side of the ball, as well as emphasizing positional versatility.—
Paul Dehner Jr,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Apply the rule of one-third when mowing to prevent stressing the existing grass.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Saudi Arabia has stepped up direct engagement with Iran to try and contain a war in the Middle East that is causing havoc and stressing global markets, according to several European officials.—
Donato Paolo Mancini,
Fortune,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But Adebayo has never won the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award, and there’s little Defensive Player of the Year buzz for Adebayo at the moment despite the Heat featuring a top-five defense this season.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Flying is the company’s second Nova-C lander named Athena featuring NASA’s PRIME-1 drill, to land a drill and mass spectrometer near the south pole of the moon in order to demonstrate the feasibility of in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) and measure the volatile content of subsurface samples.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Playing up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playing%20up. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
