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
There is a humiliation that is at play with the ankle monitor, and then the confrontation with Chad happening at my workplace is kind of her nightmare.
—
Hunter Ingram, Variety, 4 Apr. 2025
But for a player like center Jaxson Hayes, there are other things at play, the free-agent-to-be in the most important role of his career on the best team for which he’s played.
—Iliana Limón Romero, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2025
Also at play are breach of fiduciary duty lawsuits that are expected to be filed in the coming weeks.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 3 Apr. 2025
Trust is the deeper psychological question at play in the Signal chat scandal, added Lupton, the international politics scholar.
—Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for at play
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Hunter Ingram, Variety, 4 Apr. 2025
But for a player like center Jaxson Hayes, there are other things at play, the free-agent-to-be in the most important role of his career on the best team for which he’s played.
—Iliana Limón Romero, Los Angeles Times, 3 Apr. 2025
Also at play are breach of fiduciary duty lawsuits that are expected to be filed in the coming weeks.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 3 Apr. 2025
Trust is the deeper psychological question at play in the Signal chat scandal, added Lupton, the international politics scholar.
—Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for at play
Cite this Entry
“At play.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/at%20play. Accessed 8 Apr. 2025.
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