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
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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
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
Mims made big plays down the stretch, too.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 21 Oct. 2025
Standing at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, Tyson has great speed and athleticism to make plays down the field.
—Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Oct. 2025
Eventually, the Panthers will be able to make some big plays down the field with Horn extending his package of reps.
—Charlotte Observer, 16 Oct. 2025
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
Mims made big plays down the stretch, too.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 21 Oct. 2025
Standing at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, Tyson has great speed and athleticism to make plays down the field.
—Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Oct. 2025
Eventually, the Panthers will be able to make some big plays down the field with Horn extending his package of reps.
—Charlotte Observer, 16 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plays down
Verb
-
Trump, naturally, dismisses any negative indicators in surveys.—
Jonathan Lemire,
The Atlantic,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Henry dismisses Yasmin but can’t shake the niggling feeling that his wife isn’t entirely wrong.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Located in the Baiyinkulun Steppe & Volcano Tourism Resort of Inner Mongolia, China, the 3,532-square-meter (38,018-sq-ft) project minimizes its footprint on the fragile landscape, while focusing on soil erosion prevention.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
27 Feb. 2026
-
The DreamCloud truly minimizes sleep disturbance from your neighbor.—
Kristi Kellogg,
Architectural Digest,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In banked slalom, athletes get two individual runs down the course with their best time counting toward the final ranking.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
6 Mar. 2026
-
The Aztecs would go on a couple of runs down the stretch, including a 7-0 run within just seven seconds to narrow the Broncos’ lead to 60-49.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Writer/director Hammer, though, downplays the melodrama inherent to this scenario, even while shooting sequences, whether in Martin and Leslie’s apartment or in various hospitals, with a bracing handheld intimacy.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
17 Feb. 2026
-
The split between Pack, who went on to start his own venture firm Hack VC, and Dragonfly is the stuff of crypto VC lore, though Qureshi downplays the drama.—
Leo Schwartz,
Fortune,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Maybe the immediate need diminishes a bit after free agency.—
Mike DeFabo,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Give ample space to large vehicles - Trucks or buses can create a water spray that diminishes visibility.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 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 9 Mar. 2026.
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