play up

verb

played up; playing up; plays up

Examples of play up in a Sentence

that TV news program plays up sensational stories just to get higher ratings
Recent Examples on the Web Vermilion plays up beautiful speckled radicchio from Karma Farm in Maryland, in a haystack of a salad, with local sheep’s milk cheese and ruddy country ham. Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024 By contrast, Hayes has played up his roots in East County and pledged to deliver for constituents despite Democratic control at the state Capitol. Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Mar. 2024 And despite Spotify also—as Apple points out—sitting atop the music streaming industry, the role of David is one the group appears keen to have played up to. Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 12 Mar. 2024 Dennison truly shines in these scenes, making Danny more than Eli’s foil by flexing his comedic timing and playing up his character’s endearing charm. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Mar. 2024 Officials not only played up the campus’ academic and research excellence, but also the area’s safety and amenities — such as nearby Disneyland and beautiful Orange County beaches, said Bryan Jue, senior director of outreach and communications. Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024 The appearance spawned speculation on social media that there was a potential real-life romantic connection after they were seen playing up their flirty roles for the audience. Alli Rosenbloom, CNN, 3 Mar. 2024 Or does Team Biden have a trick play up their sleeves? Doug McIntyre, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024 Hausmann-Stokes plays up the mystery surrounding Zoe’s death as a way of conveying the impact of PTSD on the mind and the body. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'play up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1814, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of play up was in 1814

Dictionary Entries Near play up

Cite this Entry

“Play up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20up. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

play up

verb

More from Merriam-Webster on play up

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