How to Use play dead in a Sentence

play dead

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• If a black bear makes contact, do not play dead, the DNR advised.
  — Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 28 May 2023
• Play dead, because black bears eat things that play dead or are dead.
  — Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 21 June 2022
• Jaylen Wright appeared to stretch the ball over the goal line, but officials had ruled his forward progress was stopped and blew the play dead.
  — Creg Stephenson | [e-mail], al, 30 Dec. 2021
• To play dead, lie as still as possible on your stomach and protect the back of your neck with your hands.
  — Bailey Berg, Anchorage Daily News, 28 June 2021
• The contestants are told to play dead and slump over, which makes the disparity even more goofy.
  — Paul Tassi, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023
• Make loud noises, such as yelling, whistling or banging pots and pans. Do not run and never play dead.
  — Michael Salerno, The Arizona Republic, 24 June 2023
• The closest official -- Forte -- whistled the play dead. Play over.
  — Chris Fedor, cleveland, 5 Feb. 2022
• The catch would’ve been ruled good — if only officials hadn’t ruled the play dead before the ball ever took flight.
  — Jonas Shaffer, baltimoresun.com, 29 Aug. 2020
• The officials never called the play dead and Doran ran 92 yards unopposed for the score.
  — Alex Harrison, The Enquirer, 15 Nov. 2021
• When threatened, smaller armadillos roll up in a ball and play dead.
  — Marylou Tousignant, Washington Post, 30 Jan. 2023
• Playing dead may dissuade a grizzly or brown bear, but never play dead around a black bear.
  — Laken Brooks, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2021
• The referees did not call the play dead until right as Jackson spiked the ball, with eight seconds remaining.
  — Daniel Oyefusi, baltimoresun.com, 1 Nov. 2020
• Case in point: at a Thursday morning practice, the punt team sprinted down the field to cover a kick before Wilson whistled the play dead.
  — Edward Lee, Baltimore Sun, 1 Sep. 2022
• If a predatory encounter is inevitable, spray the area around you with bear spray and be prepared to play dead — lie on your stomach with your hands clasped around your neck.
  — Annie Vainshtein, SFChronicle.com, 7 Oct. 2020
• Unlike safety advice for encountering bears, do not act timid or play dead in front of a cat.
  — Jason Hahn, Peoplemag, 23 Mar. 2023
• Thus adorned, and instructed to play dead, Acevedo spent much of the morning lying motionless on grass.
  — New York Times, 28 June 2022
• The players are paid to play themselves; Iraqis and Afghans who fled war and young soldiers play dead and wounded in graphic detail as if walking off the set of a horror movie.
  — Donny Bajohr, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Dec. 2020
• If you are attacked by a brown or grizzly bear, leave your backpack on and play dead by laying flat on your stomach with your hands behind your neck and legs spread.
  — Alaa Elassar, CNN, 8 Aug. 2020
• Patriots linebacker Shilique Calhoun plucked the ball out of the air and began running toward the end zone, but officials whistled the play dead.
  — Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA TODAY, 6 Oct. 2020
• However, the game clock stopped with 3.0 seconds left and an official whistled the play dead before Hurst attempted the shot, which was ruled off.
  — oregonlive, 15 Jan. 2023
• Even though the referees blew the play dead, negating a potential touchdown return by Humphrey, the fumble gave a struggling offense a prime chance to score.
  — Ryan McFadden, Baltimore Sun, 21 Nov. 2022
• But because officials blew the play dead when Nix’s spike/fumble hit the ground, Arkansas had no chance to recover a fumble.
  — Creg Stephenson | [e-mail], al, 28 Oct. 2022
• Bear attacks are rare -- but if attacked by grizzly bear, the NPS recommends people play dead by laying flat on their stomachs with their legs spread out.
  — Leah Asmelash, CNN, 23 Sep. 2020
• Rams running back Malcolm Brown burst 7 yards toward the end zone, and when a group of players wrapped him up, officials allowed the scrum to travel another 5 yards to the 1-yard line before calling the play dead.
  — Colleen Kane, chicagotribune.com, 30 Oct. 2020
• There was some question as to whether Rodriguez's knee had touched the ground after receiving the handoff, but officials did not whistle the play dead then and spotted the ball just outside of the goal line after review.
  — Jon Hale, The Courier-Journal, 26 Sep. 2020
• Though the official immediately blew the play dead, Dallas couldn’t challenge.
  — Bob McManaman, The Arizona Republic, 3 Jan. 2022
• This 1920s 'whodunit' has everything in a show -- an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that can't play dead, and actors who trip over everything (including their lines).
  — Arkansas Online, 2 Nov. 2022
• Most eight-legged bachelors go to great lengths to avoid being eaten by their lover: Some try to massage her into a stupor, or bind her legs up with silk; others play dead, or detach their own legs to distract her with a precoital snack.
  — Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 20 July 2022
• However, before the curling ball reached him, the referees had blown play dead, citing Rapids midfielder Cole Bassett interfering with Bingham.
  — Mitchell Forde, oregonlive, 5 July 2023
• Except that the referees whistled the play dead, nullifying Sullivan’s return again, and a frustrated Vikings team was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct.
  — The Indianapolis Star, 18 Dec. 2022

Last Updated: 29 Aug 2024