as in to highlight
to indicate the importance of by centering attention on
that TV news program plays up sensational stories just to get higher ratings
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of play up
In this pre-fab coastal cottage, designer Jennifer Hunter played up the beachy color palette with textiles and artwork but kept the walls an airy white.
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Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 24 Oct. 2024
The 2024 campaign was full of injuries as well, but Buehler turned his play up in the World Series.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Nov. 2024
In his brief appearances for the Colts this season while Richardson has been injured, Flacco has played up to that standard, completing 65.7 percent of his passes for 716 yards, throwing seven touchdowns and one interception and leading Indianapolis to two wins in three appearances with two starts.
—Ben Morse, CNN, 3 Nov. 2024
The 10-piece fall line plays up plenty of daytime looks but there are also versatile styles that can be dressed up for evening outings.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 24 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for play up 
Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 24 Oct. 2024
The 2024 campaign was full of injuries as well, but Buehler turned his play up in the World Series.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Nov. 2024
In his brief appearances for the Colts this season while Richardson has been injured, Flacco has played up to that standard, completing 65.7 percent of his passes for 716 yards, throwing seven touchdowns and one interception and leading Indianapolis to two wins in three appearances with two starts.
—Ben Morse, CNN, 3 Nov. 2024
The 10-piece fall line plays up plenty of daytime looks but there are also versatile styles that can be dressed up for evening outings.
—Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 24 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for play up
Recent Examples of Synonyms for play up
Verb
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The stories of Shawn Carter and Sean Combs highlight the American dream: One hailing from Brooklyn and the other from Harlem, the two men, then in their 20s, took the next step in jumpstarting their empires.Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY, 10 Dec. 2024
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The same report highlights that by integrating AI to predict equipment failures and automate routine quality control checks, enterprises have reported a 40% reduction in downtime and an almost 15% increase in overall productivity.Dean DeBiase, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Apart Smart Air Technology's app emphasizes gathering more data, using less material, and reducing labor costs, aiming to offer greater benefits than existing systems.Chris Gallagher, USA TODAY, 18 Dec. 2024
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Germany's social health insurance model emphasizes patient choice and short waiting times.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024
Verb
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While stressing the importance of constant vigilance about the quality of evidence, Johnson drops loads of information about the universe.Rebecca Coffey, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
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The source said while there have been eyewitness reports of what appear to be drones over New Jersey, agency officials stressed in meetings Thursday many videos on social media appear to be civilian airplanes or helicopters.Polo Sandoval, CNN, 13 Dec. 2024
Verb
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During these events, which featured the show’s cast competing against NHL alumni teams, fans got an early preview of the upcoming title.Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 12 Dec. 2024
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But American Express has a solution - a new online waitlist feature now available for all Centurion Lounges in the U.S. Similar to Capital One’s system introduced earlier this year, Amex’s new digital waitlist allows cardholders to join the line remotely through their app.Bill Hardekopf, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near play up
Cite this Entry
“Play up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/play%20up. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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