play at
phrasal verb
played at; playing at; plays at
1
: to do (something) in a way that is not serious
They were only playing at trying to fix the problem.
2
chiefly British
: to play by pretending to be (someone or something)
She liked to play at doctors and nurses as a child.
—often used in the phrase play at being (something)boys playing at being soldiers
3
British
—used to say in an annoyed way that one does not know the reason for someone's behavior
What is he playing at?
Examples of play at in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The shot clock should increase the pace of play at the varsity level, while also making the ends of close games more exciting.
—
Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 23 Apr. 2024
End Early: Darius Robinson – Missouri The Niners need someone who can play at 5-technique (lined up off the tackle’s outside shoulder) if their Wide-Nine defensive front is going to work.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2024
The film was selected to play at international documentary festivals including CPH:DOX and IDFA where the film had its European premiere.
—Addie Morfoot, Variety, 23 Apr. 2024
His son, Madan Mohan, enjoyed playing at Jallianwalla Bagh, an empty plot of land in the center of Amritsar, Punjab, but had not come home.
—TIME, 23 Apr. 2024
The night also marked the final time the Sockers played at Pechanga Arena, their home for the last 11 seasons.
—Ivan Carter, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Apr. 2024
Kings guard Keon Ellis came off the bench to play the final 76 seconds in a season-opening win over the Utah Jazz and did not play at all in the next three games, but the situation in Sacramento has changed.
—Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 19 Apr. 2024
All turned out the fashion, fittingly dressing in greens and golds to see the show — now playing at the Marquis Theatre in New York City.
—Dave Quinn, Peoplemag, 18 Apr. 2024
The San Francisco 49ers play at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, which sits just outside San Jose and is about 45 miles south of San Francisco.
—Janie Har, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2024
Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 23 Apr. 2024
End Early: Darius Robinson – Missouri The Niners need someone who can play at 5-technique (lined up off the tackle’s outside shoulder) if their Wide-Nine defensive front is going to work.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 23 Apr. 2024
The film was selected to play at international documentary festivals including CPH:DOX and IDFA where the film had its European premiere.
—Addie Morfoot, Variety, 23 Apr. 2024
His son, Madan Mohan, enjoyed playing at Jallianwalla Bagh, an empty plot of land in the center of Amritsar, Punjab, but had not come home.
—TIME, 23 Apr. 2024
The night also marked the final time the Sockers played at Pechanga Arena, their home for the last 11 seasons.
—Ivan Carter, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Apr. 2024
Kings guard Keon Ellis came off the bench to play the final 76 seconds in a season-opening win over the Utah Jazz and did not play at all in the next three games, but the situation in Sacramento has changed.
—Jason Anderson, Sacramento Bee, 19 Apr. 2024
All turned out the fashion, fittingly dressing in greens and golds to see the show — now playing at the Marquis Theatre in New York City.
—Dave Quinn, Peoplemag, 18 Apr. 2024
The San Francisco 49ers play at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, which sits just outside San Jose and is about 45 miles south of San Francisco.
—Janie Har, Fortune, 11 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'play at.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near play at
Cite this Entry
“Play at.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20at. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
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