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

That’s playing out in a growing number of states like Nebraska, where tens of thousands of people with felony convictions like Dr. Moore have recently cast ballots for the first time. —Henry Gass, The Christian Science Monitor, 23 Sep. 2024

Major races play out over a much longer cycle than just a few months, Fraser told Axios. —Ivana Saric, Axios, 22 Sep. 2024

Since 1950, this pattern has played out in 20 out of 22 occasions, noted Oppenheimer. —Yeo Boon Ping, CNBC, 20 Sep. 2024

Still, many of those stories end or their most violent moments play out on those surfaces. —Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 20 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1598, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

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