play to

phrasal verb

played to; playing to; plays to

1

: to behave or perform in a particular way for (someone or something) in order to get approval or attention

He didn't mean what he was saying. He was just playing to the crowd.

He loves publicity and plays to the cameras every chance he gets.

2

: to make use of (something)

a film that plays to stereotypes of housewives

In his latest album, he once again plays to his strengths as a classical musician.

Examples of play to in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Because, immediately, journeyman Jones threw five passes on the first five plays to began attacking the NFL’s weakest starting cornerbacks — a situation too obvious for the club to have gone the entire offseason not doing enough to remedy. —Miami Herald, 8 Sep. 2025

It’s always conducted in the blind, with protocols employed to avoid any undue influence, from pay-to-play to palate fatigue. —Brad Japhe, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025

The Thunderbirds required only five plays to tie the game, Barren hitting Gabe Nunez on a deep crossing route for a 35-yard touchdown. —Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Sep. 2025

There’s just silly claims, silly anecdotes that are designed clearly to play to an audience on Fox News. —Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 7 Sep. 2025

Rhymes for play to

• accrue
• ado
• ainu
• aircrew
• airscrew
• anew
• askew
• baboo
• babu
• bamboo
• beaucoup
• bijou