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
And Fosse emphasized Snider’s Fosse-like qualities, playing up Snider’s creative side.
—
Lili Anolik, Vanity Fair, 12 Jan. 2026
Nails will be modern and cool, playing up your aesthetic without overpowering it.
—Calin Van Paris, InStyle, 10 Jan. 2026
Williams said the challenging part of the series was playing up the rivalry between his character and his co-star and onscreen love interest, Ilya Rozanov, played by Connor Storrie.
—Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 8 Jan. 2026
That dichotomy – Bianco focusing on genuine crime and Democrats playing up their opposition to Trump’s crime and immigration tactics – is worth noting.
—Douglas Schoen, Oc Register, 29 Dec. 2025
Also, Tua Tagovailoa was told this week to stop thinking and just play and the team practiced playing up tempo more.
—Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2025
Vincent and Reaves are both playing up a spot from their more natural positions, although the 6-foot-6 Doncic could be matched up against Podziemski on defense for much of the night.
—Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
When planning for sets up to 10 hours long, Summit began building a community of underground, unsigned artists, playing up to 15 of them at his shows.
—Jessica Coacci, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2025
Altagamma is also increasingly playing up the cultural and creative.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 17 Oct. 2025
Lili Anolik, Vanity Fair, 12 Jan. 2026
Nails will be modern and cool, playing up your aesthetic without overpowering it.
—Calin Van Paris, InStyle, 10 Jan. 2026
Williams said the challenging part of the series was playing up the rivalry between his character and his co-star and onscreen love interest, Ilya Rozanov, played by Connor Storrie.
—Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 8 Jan. 2026
That dichotomy – Bianco focusing on genuine crime and Democrats playing up their opposition to Trump’s crime and immigration tactics – is worth noting.
—Douglas Schoen, Oc Register, 29 Dec. 2025
Also, Tua Tagovailoa was told this week to stop thinking and just play and the team practiced playing up tempo more.
—Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2025
Vincent and Reaves are both playing up a spot from their more natural positions, although the 6-foot-6 Doncic could be matched up against Podziemski on defense for much of the night.
—Alex Kirschenbaum, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
When planning for sets up to 10 hours long, Summit began building a community of underground, unsigned artists, playing up to 15 of them at his shows.
—Jessica Coacci, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2025
Altagamma is also increasingly playing up the cultural and creative.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 17 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for playing up
Verb
-
As for the space itself, Cartier is honoring the building’s history by highlighting the Royal Poinciana’s original façade, a Regency Revival design by architect John Volk (which in 2008 was declared historic by Palm Beach’s Landmark Preservation Commission).—
Laurie Brookins,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Meanwhile, companies are charting their year ahead, highlighting key business and drug pipeline updates.—
Annika Kim Constantino,
CNBC,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Middlebrooks echoed those concerns, emphasizing the importance of the services provided by the health system.—
Da Lin,
CBS News,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Experts say there is no clear pattern behind recent shark encounters, emphasizing that the ocean is a dynamic environment where humans enter the natural habitat of marine predators.—
Ryan Macasero,
Mercury News,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Rising temperatures increase evaporation, further stressing a watershed already under pressure from growth and development.—
Amy Green,
Miami Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
-
The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans just dropped, and there’s one particular nugget in the mix that’s already stressing me out as a mom of four young kids.—
Korin Miller,
SELF,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
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,
14 Jan. 2026
-
The album, which was produced by three-time-Grammy-winner Joe Henry, finds Lage fronting a terrific new quartet featuring keyboardist John Medeski, bassist Jorge Roeder, and drummer Kenny Wollesen.—
Jim Harrington,
Mercury News,
14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Playing up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playing%20up. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
