1
as in dismisses
to express scornfully one's low opinion of
out of sheer envy, she would always play down her sister's accomplishments
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in minimizes
to reduce in apparent importance
if you play down your part in the project, you won't get the credit you deserve
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of plays down
Santos, who scored a career-high 31 points in the Warriors win over Brooklyn on Wednesday, made several big plays down the stretch.
—
ABC News, 28 Mar. 2026
Valanciunas is slow-footed and plays down the floor in pick-and-roll coverage, leaving the Nuggets more vulnerable to pick-and-pop bigs and other ripple effects of their help rotations around the floor.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 21 Mar. 2026
The senior forward had 18 points and made pivotal plays down the stretch, including a dunk, an offensive rebound and free throws to seal the game.
—Tarek Fattal, Daily News, 3 Mar. 2026
Crean Lutheran senior guard Nick Giarusso made the big plays down the stretch to help the Saints beat the Lions, 59-52, at Toyota Arena.
—Steve Fryer, Oc Register, 1 Mar. 2026
But with the game on the line, TCU’s Olivia Miles took control with multiple highlight plays down the stretch to clinch the game.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Mar. 2026
Bench energizer Chendall Weaver, combo guard Simeon Wilcher and bruising forward Lassina Traore — the only three Longhorns who see regular minutes off the bench — each made crucial plays down the stretch as Texas (13-9, 4-5 SEC) pulled away for a road win against one of its fiercest rivals.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 3 Feb. 2026
Continue reading … POLITICS NO ENTRY ZONE – Israel shuts door on Turkey in Gaza as Trump praises Erdogan, plays down clash.
—FOXNews.com, 5 Jan. 2026
The Bears relentlessly attacked Brown deep down the field, and the Niners’ safety — who made several nice plays down as a de facto linebacker — gave up two first-half touchdowns on deep balls.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2025
ABC News, 28 Mar. 2026
Valanciunas is slow-footed and plays down the floor in pick-and-roll coverage, leaving the Nuggets more vulnerable to pick-and-pop bigs and other ripple effects of their help rotations around the floor.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 21 Mar. 2026
The senior forward had 18 points and made pivotal plays down the stretch, including a dunk, an offensive rebound and free throws to seal the game.
—Tarek Fattal, Daily News, 3 Mar. 2026
Crean Lutheran senior guard Nick Giarusso made the big plays down the stretch to help the Saints beat the Lions, 59-52, at Toyota Arena.
—Steve Fryer, Oc Register, 1 Mar. 2026
But with the game on the line, TCU’s Olivia Miles took control with multiple highlight plays down the stretch to clinch the game.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Mar. 2026
Bench energizer Chendall Weaver, combo guard Simeon Wilcher and bruising forward Lassina Traore — the only three Longhorns who see regular minutes off the bench — each made crucial plays down the stretch as Texas (13-9, 4-5 SEC) pulled away for a road win against one of its fiercest rivals.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 3 Feb. 2026
Continue reading … POLITICS NO ENTRY ZONE – Israel shuts door on Turkey in Gaza as Trump praises Erdogan, plays down clash.
—FOXNews.com, 5 Jan. 2026
The Bears relentlessly attacked Brown deep down the field, and the Niners’ safety — who made several nice plays down as a de facto linebacker — gave up two first-half touchdowns on deep balls.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plays down
Verb
-
Henry immediately dismisses his class.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
30 Mar. 2026
-
Luari dismisses that speculation, saying her problems are not tied to her rapid expansion, but rather uncontrollable financial setbacks.—
Kenneth R. Gosselin,
Hartford Courant,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Super-insulated plywood construction minimizes the use of steel, and like most of Holl’s other properties, there’s notably no drywall, nor any cosmetic finish.—
Jessica Chapel,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Clean Your Tools Keeping your garden tools clean minimizes the spread of disease in your garden.—
Blythe Copeland,
Martha Stewart,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Brundage combined with sophomore defender Brooklynn Sosa multiple times throughout the match, with Sosa constantly making attacking runs down the right.—
Ishmael Johnson,
Dallas Morning News,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Galloway runs down a fly ball to right-center field.—
Caleb Yum,
Austin American Statesman,
17 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
However, the show downplays the severity of the incident and most crucially the fact that a child was present and injured in the melee.—
Kelly Lawler,
USA Today,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Govan, for his part, downplays the controversy.—
Nate Freeman,
Vanity Fair,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Give ample space to large vehicles - Trucks or buses can create a water spray that diminishes visibility.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Ned Bair, a research associate at the Earth Research Institute at UC Santa Barbara, said that while the total number of avalanches may decrease over time as the overall snowpack diminishes, the ones that do occur could become more intense due to climate change.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The show never talks down to the audience.—
Rachel DeSantis,
PEOPLE,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Plays down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plays%20down. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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