14 English Phrasal Verbs With 'PLAY'

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14 phrasal verbs with 'PLAY'

Play about

1. Be silly
   (Inseparable | British English)
   
   » Example: Please stop PLAYING ABOUT.
2. Be sexually promiscuous or unfaithful
   (Inseparable | British English)
   
   » Example: She PLAYED ABOUT before she got married.

Play along

1. Pretend to agree or accept something in order to keep someone happy or to get more information
   (Intransitive | International English)
   
   » Example: I disagreed with the idea but I had to PLAY ALONG because everyone else liked it.

Play around

1. Be silly
   (Intransitive | International English)
   
   » Example: The children were PLAYING AROUND and being annoying.
2. Be sexually promiscuous or unfaithful
   (Intransitive | International English)
   
   » Example: I PLAYED AROUND a lot at college.

Play at

1. Pretend to be something
   (Inseparable | International English)
   
   » Example: He just PLAYS AT being a lawyer- he never wins a case.

Play away

1. Be sexually unfaithful when away from home
   (Intransitive | International English)
   
   » Example: He travels abroad a lot and his wife thinks he PLAYS AWAY.

Play back

1. Listen to or watch something you've recorded
   (Separable [optional] | International English)
   
   » Example: We PLAYED the recording BACK to see if it was OK.

Play down

1. Try to make something seem less important
   (Separable [optional] | International English)
   
   » Example: The Government has tried to PLAY DOWN the importance of the minister's resignation.

Play off

1. Play a game to decide who the winner is
   (Intransitive | International English)
   
   » Example: As both teams had the same points, they PLAYED OFF to decide the winner.
2. Make people compete against each other so that you benefit
   (Separable [obligatory] | International English)
   
   » Example: He PLAYED them OFF against each other to get the best deal.

Play on

1. Continue playing a sport though there might be a reason to stop
   (Intransitive | British English)
   
   » Example: It looked like a foul, but the referee told them to PLAY ON.
2. Continue playing music
   (Intransitive | International English)
   
   » Example: The band PLAYED ON for another hour.
3. Exploit a weakness
   (Inseparable | International English)
   
   » Example: They are just PLAYING ON our fears to get us to do what they want.
4. Pun
   (Inseparable | International English)
   
   » Example: The advert PLAYS ON the slogan

Play out

1. Progress, often till it finishes
   (Intransitive | International English)
   
   » Example: Let's see how things PLAY OUT.
2. Pretend that something is real and reduce its effect
   (Separable [optional] | International English)
   
   » Example: Computer games allow people to PLAY OUT their violent urges.
3. Play something to the end
   (Separable [optional] | International English)
   
   » Example: Rain stopped them PLAYING the game OUT.
4. Unwind (e.g., fishing line)
   (Intransitive | International English)
   
   » Example: When he hooked the swordfish, his line rapidly PLAYED OUT.

Play up

1. Behave badly
   (Intransitive | International English)
   
   » Example: The children PLAYED UP all evening and drove the babysitter mad.

Play up to

1. Flatter someone
   (Intransitive | American English)
   
   » Example: I'm PLAYING UP TO my boss at the moment because I want the promotion.
2. Behave in a way expected
   (Inseparable | International English)
   
   » Example: He's got a reputation for being trouble and PLAYS UP TO it.

Play upon

1. Exploit a weakness
   (Inseparable | International English)
   
   » Example: They are PLAYING UPON people's concerns to get their way.

Play with

1. Touch and move something to occupy your hands
   (Inseparable | International English)
   
   » Example: He can't stop PLAYING WITH his beard.
2. Not eat much of a meal
   (Inseparable | International English)
   
   » Example: I wasn't hungry, so I just PLAYED WITH the food.
3. Consider something, but not seriously
   (Inseparable | International English)
   
   » Example: We PLAYED WITH the idea, but decided against it.

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