PLAYS OUT Synonyms: 63 Similar and Opposite Words

plays out

verb

present tense third-person singular of play out

as in spends

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 plays out But some in the city are waiting to see how a separate court battle in Boston over changes to multiple national parks, including the President’s House, plays out for answers. — Danny Freeman, CNN Money, 28 June 2026 Cook, who has remained in the post while the case plays out, called the allegations a pretext to oust her over monetary policy differences. — Will Dunham, USA Today, 28 June 2026 The heroic death plays out almost as a footnote in an otherwise grim day at sea. — Josh Wigler, HollywoodReporter, 22 June 2026 This comes as a Big 12 lawsuit against the university and others, plays out in court. — S.e. Jenkins, CBS News, 16 June 2026 Cynthia wants to get down to the bottom of Shamea’s erratic behavior, and the scene plays out like an angsty teen getting sent to the principal’s office. — Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 15 June 2026 Less than two miles away, a similarly bustling scene plays out on California Avenue, often considered Palo Alto’s second downtown. — Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 9 June 2026 The thriller plays out from the perspective of both women. — Lynette Rice, Deadline, 9 June 2026 In humans with advanced metabolic disease, the same collapse plays out in Charcot’s foot, where the bones of the ankle and midfoot fracture and disintegrate under the weight of a body the metabolism can no longer regulate. — Joshua Moen, STAT, 8 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for plays out

Verb

Country music star Randy Houser spends a lot of his life on the road, but when the shows are over and the tour bus stops rolling, there's usually one thing on his mind.

— Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2026
Every year, Santos spends months back home in the Yukon as the official sign painter of Dawson City, preserving its history on behalf of the Canadian government.

— Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of spends

Verb

Every operation consumes computational resources, while storing intermediate results requires additional qubits.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026
Someone who orally consumes ketamine would typically begin to feel its effects within 20 minutes.

— Christopher P. Holstege, The Conversation, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of consumes

Verb

Until, suddenly, the life drains from his eyes, sometimes for barely a second, and returning before anyone else in the scene notices.

— Clayton Davis, Variety, 6 Oct. 2026
The all-in-one dock cleans the spinning dual mops with hot water, dries them with warm air to prevent musty smells, and automatically drains and refills the water tank.

— Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of drains

Verb

That pretty much exhausts the points of agreement between the pro- and anti-Proposition 40 camps.

— Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Instead of occupying both sides with large cooling vents, air enters toward the front of the station and exhausts through the rear.

— Michael Lydick, PC Magazine, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of exhausts

Verb

Standard usage draws down a prepaid credit balance, while enterprise customers can arrange invoicing.

— Janakiram MSV, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026
Asked about arms sales to Taiwan, Hegseth downplayed concerns that a multi-billion-dollar package could be ‌affected as the United States draws down its weapons stockpiles amid the Middle ⁠East conflict.

— Reuters, NBC news, 30 May 2026

Definition of draws down

Verb

This reduces the turbulence around the suspension and in the trailer’s wake, and lowers the aerodynamic drag.

— Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 20 Oct. 2026
There are studies suggesting that being on a regular training regimen reduces your risk of cancer recurrence.

— Samantha Ciaccia, Glamour, 19 Oct. 2026