Synonyms
Examples of play up in a Sentence
that TV news program plays up sensational stories just to get higher ratings
Recent Examples on the Web
And it's been widely reported that China is playing up this conflict in the global south in many nations to undermine the United States.
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Majd Al-Waheidi, NPR, 26 Apr. 2024
The Nuggets tend to have Jokic play up at the level of the screen on pick-and-rolls, relying on rotations from other defenders underneath to cover the roller.
—Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 25 Apr. 2024
New Orleans Pick: Tackle The Saints currently have two former first-rounders on their offensive line who aren’t playing up to their potential.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Apr. 2024
In social media posts that thrilled their right-wing fans, the pair played up their real-life friendship.
—Isabel Debre, Quartz, 13 Apr. 2024
Spy movies often play up the action, but there’s a lot of paperwork behind the derring-do.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 5 Apr. 2024
These days, there’s almost no luxury car company that doesn’t play up its high-end audio system with brands like Burmeister in Mercedes-Benz, McIntosh in the opulent Jeep Grand Wagoneer SUV and Bang & Olufson in Bentley and Genesis cars, among others.
—Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNN, 29 Mar. 2024
Orange City plays up its Dutch roots with decorative windmills, Dutch-style gables on storefronts, and an annual tulip festival in May.
—Simon Montlake, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Mar. 2024
Nicola and Harper also made a cute TikTok backstage at the show, playing up their bond as sisters.
—Hedy Phillips, Peoplemag, 1 Mar. 2024
Majd Al-Waheidi, NPR, 26 Apr. 2024
The Nuggets tend to have Jokic play up at the level of the screen on pick-and-rolls, relying on rotations from other defenders underneath to cover the roller.
—Bennett Durando, The Denver Post, 25 Apr. 2024
New Orleans Pick: Tackle The Saints currently have two former first-rounders on their offensive line who aren’t playing up to their potential.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Apr. 2024
In social media posts that thrilled their right-wing fans, the pair played up their real-life friendship.
—Isabel Debre, Quartz, 13 Apr. 2024
Spy movies often play up the action, but there’s a lot of paperwork behind the derring-do.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 5 Apr. 2024
These days, there’s almost no luxury car company that doesn’t play up its high-end audio system with brands like Burmeister in Mercedes-Benz, McIntosh in the opulent Jeep Grand Wagoneer SUV and Bang & Olufson in Bentley and Genesis cars, among others.
—Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNN, 29 Mar. 2024
Orange City plays up its Dutch roots with decorative windmills, Dutch-style gables on storefronts, and an annual tulip festival in May.
—Simon Montlake, The Christian Science Monitor, 28 Mar. 2024
Nicola and Harper also made a cute TikTok backstage at the show, playing up their bond as sisters.
—Hedy Phillips, Peoplemag, 1 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'play up.' 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 play up
Cite this Entry
“Play up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20up. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
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