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

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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

Now, his son told members of Congress, Salgado Araujo’s wife spends those evenings visiting her husband’s grave at the cemetery.

— Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 23 Sep. 2026
Daliah Singer is a freelance journalist based in Denver, Colorado, who spends a lot of time daydreaming about where to travel next.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of spends

Verb

Construction is especially exposed because the machinery that consumes heavy commodities like cement and gravel is all diesel driven.

— Kevin Williams, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2026
Lynch said more than 60% of the audience already consumes the show only as a podcast.

— Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 17 Sep. 2026

Definition of consumes

Verb

Once your washer drains, that water becomes wastewater alongside everything flowing from sinks, showers, toilets and dishwashers.

— Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Sep. 2026
Not Improving Drainage Mums won’t thrive in soil that drains poorly and stays too soggy.

— Lynn Coulter, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Sep. 2026

Definition of drains

Verb

If a bureaucratic process exhausts whatever time a citizen has available, then benefits are lost or rights are denied.

— Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 14 Aug. 2026
That’s because even ordinary winds – and far worse, storms and earthquakes – cause tall buildings to sway, which ruins people’s concentration, wrecks their mood, and even exhausts them.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 24 July 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 merger leaves fewer studios competing for scripts and talent, gives one company greater power to dictate terms to distributors, and reduces streaming choices.

— Jon Brodkin, ArsTechnica, 21 Sep. 2026
The order also tells state natural resources agencies to fast-track permitting for work that reduces flood and landslide risk.

— Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of reduces

Verb

The factory reportedly uses flexible production lines designed to meet the requirements of its customers.

— Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 23 Sep. 2026
Most self-help books say anger and grudges are self-defeating — there’s that line everybody uses that holding a grudge is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.

— Lane Brown, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2026