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 Chargers, who play at home against the 2-6 Tennessee Titans on Sunday, will have consecutive prime-time games this month and are firmly in the hunt for an AFC wild-card berth. —Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024

For example: No. 5 will play at No. 12, and No. 8 will play at No. 9, etc. —Ross Terrell, Axios, 5 Nov. 2024

Both the major league women’s team and the second-division men’s soccer club play at Lynn Family Stadium, 350 Adams St., in Butchertown. —The Courier-Journal, 4 Nov. 2024

Additional games will be played at Scotiabank Arena (home to the Toronto Raptors and the Toronto Maple Leafs) along with other locations throughout Canada. —Brad Adgate, Forbes, 4 Nov. 2024