play itself out

idiom

1
: to take place : happen
This scene plays itself out daily in every large city in this country.
2
: to stop being current or popular
That style of music had played itself out and the record companies wanted something new.

Examples of play itself out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
When income is distributed according to a power law, most people will be below the average, and as national economies writ large are increasingly subject to such dynamics, that pattern will play itself out on the national level. Michael Spence, Foreign Affairs, 4 June 2014 The fact that this team now has the ability to withstand adversity and play itself out of difficult situations is a testament to the work Nagelsmann has done in just a short time. Manuel Veth, Forbes, 10 Sep. 2024 In the old days, the deciding set of a match would play itself out until one of the players won by two games. Joe Reid, Vulture, 26 Apr. 2024 Now, a variety of bad things have to happen in sequence for that worst case to play itself out. Foreign Affairs, 11 Aug. 2010 Football is going to play itself out as your backup. Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2023 In Singapore a store was forced to shut for 10 days in a bid to let the mayhem play itself out. Jeremy White, WIRED, 6 Sep. 2023 That is all really going to play itself out in August and September once the guys hit the grass and are with our coaches during training camp and the preseason. Scott Patsko, cleveland, 23 Apr. 2021 The answer to the question of who will be under center Saturday night in Baton Rouge, La., will play itself out throughout the week of practice. Tom Green | Tgreen@al.com, al, 27 Sep. 2021

Dictionary Entries Near play itself out

Cite this Entry

“Play itself out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20itself%20out. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!