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
Determined to keep a similar scenario from playing out again, organizations everywhere are rolling out new algorithms to replace RSA and elliptic curves.
—
Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 17 Apr. 2026
The event is at the heart of a sprawling legal battle, playing out across different fronts in Los Angeles and Australia, overshadowing The Deb, a feel-good movie about outback teens attending a debutante ball.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 17 Apr. 2026
After years making other kinds of headlines in their community, their split is now playing out publicly as Mike fights to have the court enforce the couple’s prenuptial agreement, which would pay Constance a lump sum of $1 million.
—David Chiu, PEOPLE, 16 Apr. 2026
The Mets’ offense seems to be boom-or-bust without a lot of in-between, and the defense is still making adjustments with so many players playing out of position.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 10 Apr. 2026
Anthropic’s legal challenge to the Department of Defense supply chain risk designation is still playing out in court after two opposing rulings on opposite sides of the country.
—Samantha Subin, CNBC, 10 Apr. 2026
The emergency docket, which is made up of appeals seeking quick intervention from the justices in cases that are still playing out in lower courts, is itself a source of disagreement among the justices.
—Lindsay Whitehurst, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
So, this data, ICE’s Detention Statistics, has become an important tool to see how the new immigration-enforcement policies are playing out.
—Ignacio Calderon, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2026
Cohen sees the same disconnection playing out daily on campus and beyond.
—Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Apr. 2026
Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 17 Apr. 2026
The event is at the heart of a sprawling legal battle, playing out across different fronts in Los Angeles and Australia, overshadowing The Deb, a feel-good movie about outback teens attending a debutante ball.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 17 Apr. 2026
After years making other kinds of headlines in their community, their split is now playing out publicly as Mike fights to have the court enforce the couple’s prenuptial agreement, which would pay Constance a lump sum of $1 million.
—David Chiu, PEOPLE, 16 Apr. 2026
The Mets’ offense seems to be boom-or-bust without a lot of in-between, and the defense is still making adjustments with so many players playing out of position.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 10 Apr. 2026
Anthropic’s legal challenge to the Department of Defense supply chain risk designation is still playing out in court after two opposing rulings on opposite sides of the country.
—Samantha Subin, CNBC, 10 Apr. 2026
The emergency docket, which is made up of appeals seeking quick intervention from the justices in cases that are still playing out in lower courts, is itself a source of disagreement among the justices.
—Lindsay Whitehurst, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2026
So, this data, ICE’s Detention Statistics, has become an important tool to see how the new immigration-enforcement policies are playing out.
—Ignacio Calderon, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2026
Cohen sees the same disconnection playing out daily on campus and beyond.
—Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for playing out
Verb
-
The airline was also trying to bring in higher-spending customers with bigger seats and bundled fares to compete with rival airlines.—
Bri Buckley,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
On Wednesday, Defense Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius announced that the Netherlands was spending 248 million euros ($292 million) on drones for the Ukrainian military.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Because much of the area has flat, poorly draining soils, this watershed has become a bottleneck that can rapidly overflow during heavy rains.—
Dominic Boyer,
The Conversation,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Fill it two-thirds with lightweight well-draining potting mix.—
Steve Bender,
Southern Living,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
What mattered was the relationship between the people creating the content and the audience consuming it.—
Jonathan Hunt,
Fortune,
11 Apr. 2026
-
With the new Iran war consuming international attention and Israel escalating strikes in Lebanon, diplomatic pressure for meaningful progress in Gaza has dramatically weakened.—
Wafaa Shurafa,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In some ways, the Wolfpack were already destined for a reset, with veterans like Tre Holloman, Darrion Williams, Quadir Copeland and Ven-Allen Lubin all exhausting their eligibility.—
Brendan Marks,
New York Times,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Instead, America seems to be exhausting itself and its arsenals in the Middle East.—
Andreas Kluth,
Twin Cities,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Governments, companies and consumers have dipped deep into reserves, drawing down 250 million barrels of crude in storage since the war broke out.—
CNN staff,
CNN Money,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Spiking energy costs have pushed governments to roll out emergency measures, while central banks are drawing down foreign exchange reserves.—
Anniek Bao,Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Roskopf, however, countered that data centers don’t provide significant jobs, but only provide an additional tax base while using up resources.—
Molly Morrow,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
-
This suggests that a self-healing concrete could theoretically be stored for a long period without ‘using up’ the healing agents.—
Srishti Gupta,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The station initially bridged the sudden budget gap last year by reaching out to donors directly and reducing costs to bring down overhead.—
Savannah Sicurella,
AJC.com,
11 Apr. 2026
-
The ship suffered substantial damage, and the Reagan administration retaliated by damaging or sinking three Iranian warships and three oil platforms, drastically reducing Tehran’s ability to engage in the gulf.—
Dalia Abdelwahab,
CNN Money,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
An 80-year-old woman and a 59-year-old man were pulled from the burning building.—
Elijah Westbrook,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Our Thoughts on the Candle Who knew burning cash could smell so good?—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Playing out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playing%20out. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
