at play
idiom
1
: in the act of playing
the sounds of children at play
2
: being something that helps produce or influence a result
Several issues are at play in determining the price of gasoline.
Examples of at play in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Former staff members and supporters suggest there is more at play, both personally and politically.
—
Annie Karni, New York Times, 26 May 2024
The backdrop is a tiny town on the edge of the Gobi Desert, a place of uneasy modernization, but the dynamics at play are universal.
—Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2024
The story revolves around Talcott Garland (Grantham Coleman), a law professor whose life is upended by the sudden death of his judge father (Forest Whitaker), a tragedy in which Talcott’s sister Mariah (Tiffany Mack), a former journalist, believes something fishy may be at play.
—Lucy Ford, TIME, 23 May 2024
There are a lot of fantastical elements at play here, a beached whale, an astronaut falling from the sky, many wild coincidences.
—Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for at play 
Annie Karni, New York Times, 26 May 2024
The backdrop is a tiny town on the edge of the Gobi Desert, a place of uneasy modernization, but the dynamics at play are universal.
—Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2024
The story revolves around Talcott Garland (Grantham Coleman), a law professor whose life is upended by the sudden death of his judge father (Forest Whitaker), a tragedy in which Talcott’s sister Mariah (Tiffany Mack), a former journalist, believes something fishy may be at play.
—Lucy Ford, TIME, 23 May 2024
There are a lot of fantastical elements at play here, a beached whale, an astronaut falling from the sky, many wild coincidences.
—Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for at play
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'at play.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near at play
Cite this Entry
“At play.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/at%20play. Accessed 6 Jun. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share