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
The Trojans scored a touchdown on the game’s final play to trim the Bruins’ lead to 20-19.
—
Scott Dochterman, The Athletic, 1 Jan. 2025
All season long, Daniels cemented himself as an Offensive Rookie of the Year frontrunner, making tremendous plays to put Washington in the position to reach the playoffs.
—Scott Thompson, Fox News, 30 Dec. 2024
The Diamondbacks are one of the teams most severely influenced by the implosion of regional sports networks, but the drop in television revenue did not stop them from playing to win.
—Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 28 Dec. 2024
The sudden increase in the number of remix videos at the start of the year caused the number of plays to rocket upward, and the buzz became a reality.
—Billboard Japan, Billboard, 26 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for play to 
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Scott Dochterman, The Athletic, 1 Jan. 2025
All season long, Daniels cemented himself as an Offensive Rookie of the Year frontrunner, making tremendous plays to put Washington in the position to reach the playoffs.
—Scott Thompson, Fox News, 30 Dec. 2024
The Diamondbacks are one of the teams most severely influenced by the implosion of regional sports networks, but the drop in television revenue did not stop them from playing to win.
—Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 28 Dec. 2024
The sudden increase in the number of remix videos at the start of the year caused the number of plays to rocket upward, and the buzz became a reality.
—Billboard Japan, Billboard, 26 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for play to
Dictionary Entries Near play to
Cite this Entry
“Play to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20to. Accessed 7 Jan. 2025.
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