plays out

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 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
  • Also, what would happen to the College Sports Commission, the main NIL enforcement arm that spends the bulk of its time analyzing third-party NIL deals that would be greatly reduced under this arrangement?
    ABC News, ABC News, 31 July 2026
  • Each day Mark Beard spends in recovery is a reminder of what could have been.
    Katie Whyatt, New York Times, 31 July 2026
Verb
  • And the human brain only consumes about 20 watts of energy doing that.
    Jackie Snow, IEEE Spectrum, 30 July 2026
  • Every prompt, response, and autonomous agent interaction consumes tokens, and as AI systems become more sophisticated, usage can scale from thousands to millions—or even trillions—of tokens.
    Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 29 July 2026
Verb
  • But pushing through outdoor events in 90+-degree weather drains cognitive reserves rather than replenishing them.
    Nicole F. Roberts, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
  • Nutrient leaching when water drains out of containers and baskets adds to the problem.
    Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 July 2026
Verb
  • 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
  • Watching this scene, and much of the film, exhausts me.
    Jenny Odell, Longreads, 2 June 2026
Verb
  • 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
  • The Bulgarian warrant pilot has to clear before any of the $100 million pipeline behind it draws down.
    Boaz Sobrado, Forbes.com, 21 May 2026
Verb
  • The airborne method also reduces long scheduling times at specialized facilities by finishing tests in one flight.
    Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 29 July 2026
  • According to the Texas Department of Transportation, wearing a seat belt reduces the risk of dying in a car crash by 45 percent in passenger cars and 60 percent in pickup trucks.
    Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 July 2026
Verb
  • The light gel-serum texture glides on and absorbs effortlessly, and the cooling metal rollerball applicator feels incredible on post-procedural skin.
    Audrey Noble, Vogue, 27 July 2026
  • Warm cake absorbs liquid much better, and this is the step that gives the cake its signature moistness.
    Maggie Meyer Glisan, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 July 2026
Verb
  • The two timber companies own some of the remaining forest the bird uses or might use for habitat, according to the lawsuit, and do not yet have federal Habitat Conservation Plans that would lay out protections for the bird as logging occurs.
    Lizzie Kane, Sacbee.com, 31 July 2026
  • The state government uses it to buffer state finances when oil prices drop below levels that allow Alaska to generate surplus earnings.
    Patrick J. Schena, The Conversation, 30 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Plays out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plays%20out. Accessed 3 Aug. 2026.

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