1
as in dismisses
to express scornfully one's low opinion of
out of sheer envy, she would always play down her sister's accomplishments
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in minimizes
to reduce in apparent importance
if you play down your part in the project, you won't get the credit you deserve
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of plays down
Bench energizer Chendall Weaver, combo guard Simeon Wilcher and bruising forward Lassina Traore — the only three Longhorns who see regular minutes off the bench — each made crucial plays down the stretch as Texas (13-9, 4-5 SEC) pulled away for a road win against one of its fiercest rivals.
—
Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 3 Feb. 2026
Continue reading … POLITICS NO ENTRY ZONE – Israel shuts door on Turkey in Gaza as Trump praises Erdogan, plays down clash.
—FOXNews.com, 5 Jan. 2026
The Bears relentlessly attacked Brown deep down the field, and the Niners’ safety — who made several nice plays down as a de facto linebacker — gave up two first-half touchdowns on deep balls.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2025
Mims made big plays down the stretch, too.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 21 Oct. 2025
Standing at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, Tyson has great speed and athleticism to make plays down the field.
—Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Oct. 2025
Eventually, the Panthers will be able to make some big plays down the field with Horn extending his package of reps.
—Charlotte Observer, 16 Oct. 2025
Chapman the Seagull Chapman plays down his part in Brighton becoming known as ‘Seagulls’ by fans during the 1970s.
—Andy Naylor, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
Proud of our players for making plays down the stretch in critical situations.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Oct. 2025
Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 3 Feb. 2026
Continue reading … POLITICS NO ENTRY ZONE – Israel shuts door on Turkey in Gaza as Trump praises Erdogan, plays down clash.
—FOXNews.com, 5 Jan. 2026
The Bears relentlessly attacked Brown deep down the field, and the Niners’ safety — who made several nice plays down as a de facto linebacker — gave up two first-half touchdowns on deep balls.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 29 Dec. 2025
Mims made big plays down the stretch, too.
—Parker Gabriel, Denver Post, 21 Oct. 2025
Standing at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, Tyson has great speed and athleticism to make plays down the field.
—Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Oct. 2025
Eventually, the Panthers will be able to make some big plays down the field with Horn extending his package of reps.
—Charlotte Observer, 16 Oct. 2025
Chapman the Seagull Chapman plays down his part in Brighton becoming known as ‘Seagulls’ by fans during the 1970s.
—Andy Naylor, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
Proud of our players for making plays down the stretch in critical situations.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plays down
Verb
-
After Achillia gains victory in the arena and brings triumph to the House of Ashur, Caesar dismisses the agreement that would see Ashur gain favor among the Roman Empire.—
Andrew McGowan,
Variety,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Continue reading … CABLE CRACKDOWN – FCC dismisses liberal hosts as agency enforces anti-bias policy.—
,
FOXNews.com,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
This precaution minimizes electrical hazards during flooding.—
Southern California Weather Report,
Daily News,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Or worse, women will share a menopause symptom with a provider who minimizes it.—
Jocelyn Solis-Moreira,
Flow Space,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
From hitting his marks perfectly to timing runs down to precise milliseconds, the whole affair was a logistical puzzle.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
3 Feb. 2026
-
As a precaution, the district continues to advise residents to avoid contact with waterways in southwest Jefferson County, including Northern Ditch, Southern Ditch and Pond Creek, which runs down to the Salt River.—
Lillian Metzmeier,
Louisville Courier Journal,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The humble Toney downplays that nickname.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
17 Jan. 2026
-
This downplays the robotic look somewhat.—
James Morris,
Forbes.com,
17 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
This, in my opinion, diminishes that.—
Rachel Handler,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Maybe, too, Giannis gets hurt again in March and his trade value diminishes a bit more.—
Dave Hyde,
Sun Sentinel,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The show never talks down to the audience.—
Rachel DeSantis,
PEOPLE,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Plays down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plays%20down. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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