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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

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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 Meanwhile, third wife Iya Femi (Bimbo Ademoye) is the most cunning and ruthless in trying to defend her position within the household, playing up to Iya Segi’s schemes as her most willing conspirator. — Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026 Thus the 2026-27 season is not about the Rangers playing up to their ceiling. — Peter Baugh, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026 Vance has been playing up to MAGA lately, going hard on immigration and confronting reporters similar to his boss. — Joe Battenfeld, Mercury News, 27 Aug. 2026 State Farm is playing up its personalized plans with a couple of spots that feature Mahomes, and Chiefs coach Andy Reid makes an appearance in one of the ads. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 26 Aug. 2026 Boobie had also been playing up one — or two even — age levels. — Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 23 Aug. 2026 Khusnutdinov, on whom the B’s are high, morphed into Sturm’s Swiss Army knife last season, playing up and down and all over the lineup. — Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 21 Aug. 2026 Forty-three football-playing schools are playing up in class this season. — Todd Holcomb, AJC.com, 12 Aug. 2026 The fourth member of the household is Terry’s lurking aide, an androgynous aesthete named Steven (theater producer Jordan Roth, playing up the character’s feline strangeness). — Judy Berman, Time, 5 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for playing up
  1. highlighting
  2. emphasizing
  3. stressing
  4. featuring
Verb
  • Propulsion presents another major hurdle, with researchers involved in the project highlighting the engine core, air intake, and exhaust system as key areas requiring further development.
    — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Perception set up a dummy news site and created fake social-media accounts highlighting the tournament’s amenities, which included kosher food in stadiums.
    — Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of highlighting
Verb
  • Cox takes the opposite approach, emphasizing the characters and their relationships over the robbery itself.
    — Katie Rife, IndieWire, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Although its location and size have changed over the decades, organizers have continued emphasizing cultural dance, music and food.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of emphasizing
Verb
  • For several years now, military officials have been stressing the strategic importance of this huge region, which could get quite a bit busier in the next decade or so.
    — Mike Wall, Space.com, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Pennsylvania officials announced the deaths last month, with Shapiro stressing that vaccinations could have averted the deaths.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of stressing
Verb
  • Wong crafted a riposte to MGM’s faux China portrayed in The Good Earth by producing a motion picture about the actual China featuring a person with actual Chinese heritage, herself.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Saalt Wear leakproof underwear is super comfortable, featuring patented leak technology that's ultra-thin and dry and works for everything from periods to bladder leaks, from teenage years to postmenopause.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 16 Sep. 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 21 Sep. 2026.

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