plays out

Definition of plays outnext
present tense third-person singular of play out

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 The conservative Justices on the nation’s highest court seemed skeptical of the administration’s arguments for firing Cook and wanting to keep her out of her post while the litigation plays out. Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 28 Jan. 2026 With Maguire, the ball is in United’s court, and the club are likely to see how the season plays out. Andy Mitten, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026 The ruling will remain paused while the government’s appeal plays out. Peter Blumberg, Fortune, 27 Jan. 2026 Much of that activity plays out in the historical center, particularly around the Zócalo and the Santo Domingo Cultural Complex. Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 20 Jan. 2026 Duke agreed to arbitration, Mensah can assert, and no court should intervene until arbitration plays out. Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 20 Jan. 2026 The chapter plays out almost like an extended scene out of a Mike Leigh film. David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2025 In Indonesia, that competition plays out in the clearest terms. Lela London, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025 The struggle plays out repeatedly across Chicago. Miguel Chacon, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plays out
Verb
  • Adamov, who sometimes spends long hours sheltering in the capsule, keeps a close eye on the devices from a short distance.
    Svitlana Vlasova, CNN Money, 24 Jan. 2026
  • This playful and comprehensive biographical documentary from director David Alvarado spends time with a deserving trailblazer whose name and accomplishments perhaps aren’t engraved in the American consciousness, but should be.
    Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 23 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Reading respects our time; video consumes it.
    Ryan Craig, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
  • Cooling systems account for up to 40% of a data center’s power consumption and an average midsized data center consumes more than 35,000 gallons of water per day.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • This structural and compounding loss heightened by sidelining Black women’s leaders drains institutions of current productivity and future leadership pipelines.
    Jallicia Jolly, Forbes.com, 24 Jan. 2026
  • Fill the pot with loose, slightly acidic soil that drains quickly.
    Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 22 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • The denial exhausts the city’s legal options for the 2022 ballot measure, known as Measure C.
    Jennifer Van Grove, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Jan. 2026
  • Ella has shades of Holly Hunter's intense, workaholic producer Jane from Brooks' 1987 masterpiece Broadcast News, the smartest person in any room who both exhausts and enchants everyone around her.
    Esther Zuckerman, Time, 12 Dec. 2025
Verb
  • New York draws down about $200 million each month for low-income families — the majority of which goes toward reimbursing districts for the costs of running local programs.
    Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 7 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Embracing this practice also means having open conversations about long‑term care, powers of attorney, and estate plans before they’re needed; the kind of groundwork that gives families confidence and reduces stress when life inevitably shifts.
    Andrew Rosen, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026
  • The company claims this reduces model drift, simplifies compliance, and lowers operational overhead.
    Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 22 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • The Kremlin, however, effectively absorbs these losses through monthly conscription of 40,000-43,000 troops.
    Katya Soldak, Forbes.com, 23 Jan. 2026
  • The system absorbs the truth and moves on.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • The video, which has been posted on Instagram and TikTok and viewed thousands of times, shows a man either dead or dying from gunshot wounds as a Richmond detective uses a blunt object to smash in the driver’s side of his own vehicle and open the door.
    Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 24 Jan. 2026
  • Johnnie Ray Salisbury, now 71, was linked to the case by forensic genealogy — a science that uses DNA from a family tree to narrow down a suspect.
    Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 24 Jan. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Plays out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plays%20out. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.

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!