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 Conroy, similar to Pondexter, played at Washington in the 2000s while Cohen was a department employee, and Pondexter cited Conroy as a mentor in his previous bio at Washington. Luca Evans, Orange County Register, 16 May 2024 The Dream held on to earn a 92-81 win over the Sparks during the season opener played at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for play at 

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 29 May. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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