make a play for
idiom
1
: to try to get (someone or something)
She made a play for the job, but she didn't get it.
2
: to try to start a romantic or sexual relationship with (someone)
He made a play for her.
Examples of make a play for in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The company based in New York City is the latest to make a play for Paramount, getting in line behind David Zaslav’s Warner Bros. Discovery, Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group and David Ellison’s Skydance Media with help from private equity firm RedBird Capital.
—
Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024
There’s a moment late in the film, where after long resisting the notion of campaigning in California as a waste of time and resources in her run for the 1972 Democratic presidential nomination, Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm (Regina King) finally agrees to make a play for the state and heads West.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Mar. 2024
None of that might matter if owner Mark Davis already has his mind made up to again chase the shiny object and make a play for a coach such as Jim Harbaugh, who has led Michigan to Monday's national championship game against Washington.
—Mark Anderson, USA TODAY, 3 Jan. 2024
There will also be more budget OLED options this year, and the technology is starting to make a play for gamers, with 240 Hz OLED laptop panels (also made by Samsung Display).
—Scharon Harding, Ars Technica, 25 Jan. 2023
The candidates not named Trump basically can go all-in with early nominating states like Iowa—and, maybe, New Hampshire as a back-up plan—or make a play for a national audience in conservative media outlets.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 17 Aug. 2023
Bucky’s secret is out of the bag To make a play for the viewership in the city that watches more college football in this country than anywhere else, the Big Ten might want to consider adding UAB to its lineup by hanging a Big Ten conference banner in Birmingham, Alabama.
—Joseph Goodman | Jgoodman@al.com, al, 8 Aug. 2023
And now, co-star J. Smith Cameron, who plays the savvy Gerri, can make a play for her first trophy after two previous noms.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 26 Apr. 2023
Utah was already in good position with Saunders Jr., but Smith deciding to make a play for an eleventh-hour face-to-face meeting put it over the top.
—Josh Newman, The Salt Lake Tribune, 3 Apr. 2022
Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024
There’s a moment late in the film, where after long resisting the notion of campaigning in California as a waste of time and resources in her run for the 1972 Democratic presidential nomination, Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm (Regina King) finally agrees to make a play for the state and heads West.
—David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Mar. 2024
None of that might matter if owner Mark Davis already has his mind made up to again chase the shiny object and make a play for a coach such as Jim Harbaugh, who has led Michigan to Monday's national championship game against Washington.
—Mark Anderson, USA TODAY, 3 Jan. 2024
There will also be more budget OLED options this year, and the technology is starting to make a play for gamers, with 240 Hz OLED laptop panels (also made by Samsung Display).
—Scharon Harding, Ars Technica, 25 Jan. 2023
The candidates not named Trump basically can go all-in with early nominating states like Iowa—and, maybe, New Hampshire as a back-up plan—or make a play for a national audience in conservative media outlets.
—Philip Elliott, Time, 17 Aug. 2023
Bucky’s secret is out of the bag To make a play for the viewership in the city that watches more college football in this country than anywhere else, the Big Ten might want to consider adding UAB to its lineup by hanging a Big Ten conference banner in Birmingham, Alabama.
—Joseph Goodman | Jgoodman@al.com, al, 8 Aug. 2023
And now, co-star J. Smith Cameron, who plays the savvy Gerri, can make a play for her first trophy after two previous noms.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 26 Apr. 2023
Utah was already in good position with Saunders Jr., but Smith deciding to make a play for an eleventh-hour face-to-face meeting put it over the top.
—Josh Newman, The Salt Lake Tribune, 3 Apr. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'make a play for.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Make a play for.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/make%20a%20play%20for. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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