as in spending
to make complete use of
we've finally played out the leftovers from that huge holiday meal
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 out
The reality of this horizontal scaling is currently playing out in the form of two very different deals.
—
Lin Cherry, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026
While the current crackdown playing out in communities across the country is unprecedented, concerns about officer training and readiness have been building for years.
—Blake Ellis, CNN Money, 27 Feb. 2026
Studios in Birmingham, is the first time there’s been a bespoke base for the drama that indeed is playing out on a much larger scale.
—Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 27 Feb. 2026
That doesn’t stop us from playing out the scenario so many times in our brains that the VHS tape starts to wear thin.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
However, the event functioned as a high pressure systems test playing out in public.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 20 Feb. 2026
These forces are colliding, and the consequences are playing out in markets, workplaces, and societies around the world.
—Alan H.h. Fleischmann, Time, 13 Feb. 2026
This is probably a consequence of more sides playing out from the back at goal kicks, and also more emphasis being placed on long throw-ins recently.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026
That process has been playing out.
—Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 11 Feb. 2026
Lin Cherry, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026
While the current crackdown playing out in communities across the country is unprecedented, concerns about officer training and readiness have been building for years.
—Blake Ellis, CNN Money, 27 Feb. 2026
Studios in Birmingham, is the first time there’s been a bespoke base for the drama that indeed is playing out on a much larger scale.
—Nancy Tartaglione, Deadline, 27 Feb. 2026
That doesn’t stop us from playing out the scenario so many times in our brains that the VHS tape starts to wear thin.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 27 Feb. 2026
However, the event functioned as a high pressure systems test playing out in public.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 20 Feb. 2026
These forces are colliding, and the consequences are playing out in markets, workplaces, and societies around the world.
—Alan H.h. Fleischmann, Time, 13 Feb. 2026
This is probably a consequence of more sides playing out from the back at goal kicks, and also more emphasis being placed on long throw-ins recently.
—Michael Cox, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026
That process has been playing out.
—Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 11 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for playing out
Verb
-
Carmen Mejia, who was declared innocent after spending more than 20 years behind bars for a wrongful conviction in a child's death in Texas, faces deportation to her native Honduras because her immigration status lapsed while she was incarcerated, her attorneys said.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
12 Mar. 2026
-
At the time, several regional experts told me that top security and political figures inside the Iraqi Shiite militias and the Houthis were limiting their use of technology, using burner phones and spending minimal time online to prevent Israel from tracking them.—
Sudarsan Raghavan,
New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
This boost in oil revenue would likely hand Putin new revenue for his war effort in Ukraine, an enormous expenditure that has been draining Russia’s economy, according to James Henderson at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies.—
Yuliya Talmazan,
NBC news,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Find a sunny spot in your garden with well-draining soil.—
SJ McShane,
Martha Stewart,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
However, your intake will determine how protein is used in the body, and there can be side effects of consuming too much, Pasquariello says.—
Kirsten Nunez,
Martha Stewart,
7 Mar. 2026
-
The parasite can cause severe neurological symptoms, with highest risk for those consuming raw freshwater crab, prawns, frogs, snails and unwashed produce.—
Susanne Rust
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Groups usually switch out the lead skier often to avoid exhausting one person.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
9 Mar. 2026
-
As these components segregate over generations, the gene drive becomes less functional, strategy that has been described as a means of developing self-exhausting gene drives that limit geographic distribution.—
Srishti Gupta,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Agencies began drawing down the federal presence in Minneapolis in recent weeks.—
Elliott Wenzler,
Denver Post,
26 Feb. 2026
-
For most people, that means drawing down their retirement savings.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Data centers have faced increasing criticism for using up water and power, adding to the already-existing strain on those resources.—
Emma Murphy,
Oklahoma Voice,
5 Mar. 2026
-
As gravity pulls this gas together, new stars ignite — gradually using up all the galaxy's star-forming fuel.—
Daisy Dobrijevic,
Space.com,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Many gardeners embrace biodiversity in turf areas to support pollinators, birds, and other wildlife while reducing the inputs needed for lawn maintenance.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
7 Mar. 2026
-
That means potentially shutting down or reducing ice time for some of its biggest stars who are playing through nagging injuries.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
There are always big, burning science questions that often serve as the motivation for any new facility or observatory.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Ashley Palmer-Watts (a Heston Blumenthal alum) heads up the kitchen with a menu that spotlights the wood-burning grill and oven—think duck-fat chips, suet puddings, and scallops with bacon and malt vinegar.—
Sarah Allard,
Condé Nast Traveler,
11 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Playing out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playing%20out. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
