play at

phrasal verb

played at; playing at; plays at

: to do (something) in a way that is not serious

They were only playing at trying to fix the problem.

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

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

These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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 See all Example Sentences for play at