play out

verb

played out; playing out; plays out

transitive verb

1

a

: to perform to the end

play out a role

b

: use up, finish

2

: unreel, unfold

played out a length of line

—Gordon Webber

intransitive verb

1

: to become spent or exhausted

2

: develop, unfold

see how things play out

Synonyms

• absorb
• burn
• consume
• deplete
• devour
• drain
• draw down
• exhaust
• expend
• spend
• use up

Examples of play out in a Sentence

we've finally played out the leftovers from that huge holiday meal

Recent Examples on the Web

Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, was inadvertently added to the chat and saw the whole discussion play out, later reporting on the incident via the magazine. —Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2025

The 2025 men’s NCAA Tournament is playing out to form with seven of the top-8 seeds advancing from the Sweet Sixteen to the Elite Eight this weekend. —Jay Ginsbach, Forbes.com, 29 Mar. 2025

Two planes still landed, and a court fight over whether the administration defied his order continued to play out even as the administration unsuccessfully asked the appeals court in the nation's capital to lift his order. —Time, 29 Mar. 2025

The dispute over President Trump's effort to use the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan migrants believed to be members of the gang Tren de Aragua has played out amid a host of lawsuits challenging many aspects of his second-term agenda. —Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 28 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Rhymes for play out

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout

Kids Definition

play out

verb

1

: to perform to the end

2

a

: to use up or finish

b

: to become exhausted : tire

3

: unreel, unfold