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

Thanks to the success of the TCU women’s basketball team, which won the Big 12 regular season and conference tournament, the NCAA Tournament is coming to Fort Worth for first and second round games to be played at Schollmaier Arena, the weekend of March 21-24. —Mac Engel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Mar. 2025

For over an hour, some area youngsters got a feel for the glitzy life, pampered with colorful manicures, glittered up and their face painted – of course with the option of adding a little bling – all as groovy music played at the Maine Park Leisure Center in Park Ridge. —Karie Angell Luc, Chicago Tribune, 13 Mar. 2025

During his pre-tournament press conference at The PLAYERS Championship, McIlroy stated that not only should there be more tournaments outside the United States on the PGA Tour calendar, but that some of the high-profile events should be played at international venues. —Raja Krishnamoorthi, Newsweek, 13 Mar. 2025

Complex commissioned the Japanese contemporary artist to create an assortment of apparel and collectibles for the Tokyo Series games that will be played at the Tokyo Dome between the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday and Wednesday. —Jean E. Palmieri, WWD, 13 Mar. 2025

Rhymes for play at

• begat
• bobcat
• chitchat
• doormat
• ducat
• eclat
• format
• hazmat
• muskrat
• nonfat
• polecat
• thereat