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
The Golden Knights hit a whole new gear in the third period and dominated play at the end, but for the most part, this was a fun, competitive tilt.
—
Harman Dayal, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
Althea was the first Black to play at the US nationals in 1950.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 7 Apr. 2025
The Mavs and Lakers will play at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday at American Airlines Center in the team’s second matchup since Doncic was traded to Los Angeles.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Apr. 2025
The 2025 men’s championship game will be played at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
—Claire Franken, TVLine, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for play at
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.
Harman Dayal, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025
Althea was the first Black to play at the US nationals in 1950.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 7 Apr. 2025
The Mavs and Lakers will play at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday at American Airlines Center in the team’s second matchup since Doncic was traded to Los Angeles.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Apr. 2025
The 2025 men’s championship game will be played at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
—Claire Franken, TVLine, 7 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for play at
Cite this Entry
“Play at.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20at. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share