play (it) smart
idiom
: to make good decisions
If you play (it) smart, you should be able to graduate in four years.
Examples of play (it) smart in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
At the beginning of the season, Mayo was confident wins would come as the season wore on because his team would play smart football and dominate defensively.
—
Chad Graff, The Athletic, 24 Nov. 2024
Just keep your mouth shut and play it smart for once.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 27 July 2024
The Bruins, now 12-0 with three wins over top-20 teams, play smart and savvy basketball, period.
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2023
The Texas Tech offense -- especially quarterback Donovan Smith -- will need to play smart against one of college football’s best defenses.
—Dallas News, 15 Sep. 2022
Learning to avoid foul trouble has also been a process, balancing when to be aggressive defensively and when to play it smart and avoid the risk of picking up a foul that would take her off the floor.
—Mark Stewart, Journal Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2023
Even if the Cowboys and Chargers don’t emerge with coaching vacancies entering the offseason, Payton should play it smart and avoid the Broncos coaching job at all costs.
—Dj Siddiqi, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2022
Campbell said his coaching staff wanted to play it smart with Decker to keep him healthy.
—Chandler Engelbrecht, Detroit Free Press, 2 Aug. 2022
What Rush does is play smart and within the system.
—David Moore, Dallas News, 17 Mar. 2023
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Chad Graff, The Athletic, 24 Nov. 2024
Just keep your mouth shut and play it smart for once.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 27 July 2024
The Bruins, now 12-0 with three wins over top-20 teams, play smart and savvy basketball, period.
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 31 Dec. 2023
The Texas Tech offense -- especially quarterback Donovan Smith -- will need to play smart against one of college football’s best defenses.
—Dallas News, 15 Sep. 2022
Learning to avoid foul trouble has also been a process, balancing when to be aggressive defensively and when to play it smart and avoid the risk of picking up a foul that would take her off the floor.
—Mark Stewart, Journal Sentinel, 8 Feb. 2023
Even if the Cowboys and Chargers don’t emerge with coaching vacancies entering the offseason, Payton should play it smart and avoid the Broncos coaching job at all costs.
—Dj Siddiqi, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2022
Campbell said his coaching staff wanted to play it smart with Decker to keep him healthy.
—Chandler Engelbrecht, Detroit Free Press, 2 Aug. 2022
What Rush does is play smart and within the system.
—David Moore, Dallas News, 17 Mar. 2023
Dictionary Entries Near play (it) smart
Cite this Entry
“Play (it) smart.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20%28it%29%20smart. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
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