playing up

verb

present participle of play up
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 These athletes created signature shoes, playing up their personal stories in the marketing. — Megan Poinski, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026 Collins and Buddy Carter are playing up their conservative records on Capitol Hill, while former college football coach Derek Dooley pitches himself as a political outsider. — ABC News, 19 May 2026 The six swings-and-misses on his fastball represented a season high and indicated that the rest of his mix was playing up and keeping opposing hitters off balance. — Katie Woo, New York Times, 18 May 2026 Peeke, meanwhile, had an up-and-down season, starting well while playing up in the lineup with Hampus Lindholm. — Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 14 May 2026 Rose said Ye bought into her flattery and liked the idea of drinking booze and playing up his bigshot status. — Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 6 May 2026 What’s the harm in asking, or playing up the theatrics? — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 28 Apr. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for playing up
  1. highlighting
  2. emphasizing
  3. stressing
  4. featuring
Verb
  • Despite falling just short in the final, Argentina come in third at 11 percent, highlighting how highly they are still regarded heading into the next four-year cycle.
    — Dean Jones, New York Times, 20 July 2026
  • Curated by Coldplay’s Chris Martin, the World Cup’s first-ever official halftime show was co-headlined by BTS, Justin Bieber, Madonna and Shakira, highlighting the competition’s mostly American backdrop and its international scope.
    — Marlow Stern, Variety, 19 July 2026
Definition of highlighting
Verb
  • Some brands are incorporating ingredients marketed to support cognition, gut health, or recovery, while others are emphasizing simpler ingredient lists or organic sourcing.
    — Jess Cording, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
  • Through different bodies, through different personalities, the tournament kept emphasizing the same point.
    — Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 20 July 2026
Definition of emphasizing
Verb
  • Others, however, are sounding more pessimistic in their tone and stressing defensive positioning.
    — Tobias Burns, CNBC, 17 July 2026
  • Climate change exacerbates these challenges, increasing electricity demand for cooling while simultaneously stressing the entire energy grid.
    — Scott Montgomery, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of stressing
Verb
  • Rooms The rooms vary in size and decor, but each one is true to the property's aesthetic, featuring pretty pastels, sumptuous bedding, soaring ceilings, and sparkling chandeliers.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 July 2026
  • Variety is bringing its acclaimed Sports & Entertainment franchise to New York City in its first-ever interview studio featuring conversations with the voices shaping the future of the sports and entertainment business on July 16.
    — William Earl, Variety, 15 July 2026
Definition of featuring

Browse Nearby Words

playing out
playing up
playing (upon)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Playing up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playing%20up. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of maverick

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
thumbnail graphic with text word of the day quiz
Weekly "Word of the Day" Quiz See how well you know each Word of the Day for Ju...
See All