as in spending
to make complete use of
we've finally played out the leftovers from that huge holiday meal
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Recent Examples of playing out
So, this data, ICE’s Detention Statistics, has become an important tool to see how the new immigration-enforcement policies are playing out.
—
Ignacio Calderon, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2026
Cohen sees the same disconnection playing out daily on campus and beyond.
—Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Apr. 2026
Players playing out of position in the midfield has created a patchwork.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2026
That theme is playing out in metro Denver, where three of the five projects are going up in Cherry Creek, which has avoided the downturn hitting the rest of Denver since the pandemic.
—Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 27 Mar. 2026
Both are the product of one of the longest-running battles on Earth, playing out in soil.
—Jonathan Lambert, NPR, 27 Mar. 2026
There’s clearly so much interior strife and uncertainty playing out in her head, but the performance can only bring so much of it to the surface.
—Chase Hutchinson, IndieWire, 19 Mar. 2026
So, with Paul and Mortensen’s latest mess playing out in real time in the public sphere, what is the point of watching her pretend to search for romance on The Bachelorette?
—Jodi Guglielmi, Rolling Stone, 19 Mar. 2026
That tension is playing out most clearly over the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman that serves as one of the world’s most critical energy choke points, with roughly one-fifth of global oil supplies passing through it each day.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 19 Mar. 2026
Ignacio Calderon, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2026
Cohen sees the same disconnection playing out daily on campus and beyond.
—Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Apr. 2026
Players playing out of position in the midfield has created a patchwork.
—Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 27 Mar. 2026
That theme is playing out in metro Denver, where three of the five projects are going up in Cherry Creek, which has avoided the downturn hitting the rest of Denver since the pandemic.
—Aldo Svaldi, Denver Post, 27 Mar. 2026
Both are the product of one of the longest-running battles on Earth, playing out in soil.
—Jonathan Lambert, NPR, 27 Mar. 2026
There’s clearly so much interior strife and uncertainty playing out in her head, but the performance can only bring so much of it to the surface.
—Chase Hutchinson, IndieWire, 19 Mar. 2026
So, with Paul and Mortensen’s latest mess playing out in real time in the public sphere, what is the point of watching her pretend to search for romance on The Bachelorette?
—Jodi Guglielmi, Rolling Stone, 19 Mar. 2026
That tension is playing out most clearly over the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway between Iran and Oman that serves as one of the world’s most critical energy choke points, with roughly one-fifth of global oil supplies passing through it each day.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 19 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for playing out
Verb
-
In both cases, spending by campaign staff may also count toward those totals.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Economists had believed that an unusually large jump in tax refunds would kick start spending at the start of the year.—
Anne D'Innocenzio,
Fortune,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
No jumping back into draining obligations.—
Tiffany Aliche,
SELF,
30 Mar. 2026
-
When correctly implemented, first-time business owners can avoid many of the common time-draining processes.—
Daniel Fusch,
USA Today,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Using smokeless nicotine products only affects the person consuming them; no one else.—
Bautista Vivanco,
Boston Herald,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Pacific Islanders have a long history of consuming shellfish, as explained in a recent study published in Geoarchaeology.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Consideration for a draft would only begin after exhausting troops on the ground with the country's active-duty military personnel, such as full-time professional military, including National Guard and Reserves, and any volunteers or enlistees who join after the war begins.—
Isa Almeida,
Oklahoman,
25 Mar. 2026
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In addition to exhausting reporters and scrambling the news cycle, episodes like this have fueled speculation that people close to the president are feeding off the chaos.—
Joe Wilkins,
Futurism,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The mayor’s also proposed drawing down from the city’s reserves.—
Josephine Stratman,
New York Daily News,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Maybe the central bank is drawing down reserves.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Roskopf, however, countered that data centers don’t provide significant jobs, but only provide an additional tax base while using up resources.—
Molly Morrow,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
-
This suggests that a self-healing concrete could theoretically be stored for a long period without ‘using up’ the healing agents.—
Srishti Gupta,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
One bill focuses on reducing construction costs by updating building codes.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
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While these methods remain effective, excessive tilling can break down soil aggregates into smaller particles, reducing soil health and increasing erosion risk.—
Anthony Reardon,
Kansas City Star,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Nearly 97 percent of female respondents reported burning sensations during urination, while 45 percent described amber to brown urine—a sign of dehydration and possible kidney strain.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
31 Mar. 2026
-
In the poor quarters of New Delhi, households struggling to pay for gas fired up chulhas, old-school wood-burning stoves, and hoped their tinder supplies held.—
Nathan Heller,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Playing out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playing%20out. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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