play to
phrasal verb
played to; playing to; plays to
1
: to behave or perform in a particular way for (someone or something) in order to get approval or attention
He didn't mean what he was saying. He was just playing to the crowd.
He loves publicity and plays to the cameras every chance he gets.
2
: to make use of (something)
a film that plays to stereotypes of housewives
In his latest album, he once again plays to his strengths as a classical musician.
Examples of play to in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Even when the going has gotten tough, the Eagles have found ways to make the necessary plays to win football games.
—
Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Sep. 2025
This is a very hard play to officiate.
—Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2025
The Wave and Thorns played to a 1-1 tie at Snapdragon in May, with Portland’s Jayden Perry hitting a penalty kick in stoppage time to pull even.
—Ryan Finley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Sep. 2025
But truly, the big part of the blame goes on Donovan Wilson for taking a bad pursuit angle to Nabers when the ball was in the air and allowing for the play to happen behind him.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for play to
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Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Sep. 2025
This is a very hard play to officiate.
—Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2025
The Wave and Thorns played to a 1-1 tie at Snapdragon in May, with Portland’s Jayden Perry hitting a penalty kick in stoppage time to pull even.
—Ryan Finley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Sep. 2025
But truly, the big part of the blame goes on Donovan Wilson for taking a bad pursuit angle to Nabers when the ball was in the air and allowing for the play to happen behind him.
—Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for play to
Cite this Entry
“Play to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20to. Accessed 23 Sep. 2025.
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