play down
verb
played down; playing down; plays down
: to attach little importance to : minimize
He humbly played down his role in the research.
Examples of play down in a Sentence
out of sheer envy, she would always play down her sister's accomplishments
if you play down your part in the project, you won't get the credit you deserve
Recent Examples on the Web
Tehran has played down the prospect of talks or that any breakthrough was imminent as Pakistan acts as an intermediary.
—
Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
The industry is bracing for massive jobs cuts, which Ellison has played down and did again Friday, insisting the combined company will operate more efficiently but also grow.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 30 Mar. 2026
Santos, who scored a career-high 31 points in the Warriors win over Brooklyn on Wednesday, made several big plays down the stretch.
—ABC News, 28 Mar. 2026
But Smith is the type of player that always seems to execute when the pressure mounts, and his clutch play down the stretch could be the difference in the Sweet 16.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for play down
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2026
The industry is bracing for massive jobs cuts, which Ellison has played down and did again Friday, insisting the combined company will operate more efficiently but also grow.
—Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 30 Mar. 2026
Santos, who scored a career-high 31 points in the Warriors win over Brooklyn on Wednesday, made several big plays down the stretch.
—ABC News, 28 Mar. 2026
But Smith is the type of player that always seems to execute when the pressure mounts, and his clutch play down the stretch could be the difference in the Sweet 16.
—Thomas Jones, Austin American Statesman, 23 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for play down
Cite this Entry
“Play down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20down. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
