PLAYS DOWN Synonyms: 84 Similar and Opposite Words

plays down

verb

present tense third-person singular of play down

as in dismisses

to express scornfully one's low opinion of out of sheer envy, she would always play down her sister's accomplishments

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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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 plays down Even for the Kremlin, which often plays down painful setbacks, the stark reality has become hard to sidestep. — Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 29 June 2026 Rhy made some huge plays down the stretch. — Christopher Harris, CBS News, 10 June 2026 But Edwards led the way with a big 16-point fourth quarter, and the Timberwolves made the key plays down the stretch. — Jared Weiss, New York Times, 11 May 2026 But, powered by veteran guard CJ McCollum and some gutsy defensive plays down the stretch, the Hawks won 107-106 to even the series at one game apiece. — Lauren Williams, AJC.com, 21 Apr. 2026 The Hornets played great and made those plays down the stretch. — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 15 Apr. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for plays down

Verb

Israel dismisses Hamas’ announcement as meaningless political spin.

— Wafaa Shurafa, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
Amon, a Brazilian engineer who joined Qualcomm 30 years ago and became its CEO in 2021, dismisses the notion that this is all too much for Qualcomm to chase at once, saying the company has been on this reinvention path many times before.

— Phil Wahba, Fortune, 27 June 2026

Definition of dismisses

Verb

Placing the heavy shielding and reactor components in the middle minimizes the physical stress caused by bending moments at sea and insulates the nuclear systems from external side-impact collisions.

— Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 18 July 2026
The 10-mm heel drop (the difference in height between the heel and front of the foot) minimizes pressure when landing and takes stress off the Achilles.

— Shea Simmons, Southern Living, 15 July 2026

Definition of minimizes

Verb

Even as Sand downplays party politics, Democrats are putting faith in him to blaze a trail in the state after struggling electorally in recent cycles.

— ABC News, ABC News, 7 June 2026
That's likely why Mindelle downplays that part of the gig, and instead focuses on the comedy that keeps her on her toes.

— Dave Quinn, PEOPLE, 29 May 2026

Definition of downplays

Verb

Give ample space to large vehicles - Trucks or buses can create a water spray that diminishes visibility.

— CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 15 July 2026
When the temperature difference diminishes between the warmer western Pacific and the cooler eastern Pacific, the typical east-to-west trade winds decrease even further.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 13 July 2026