play at
phrasal verb
played at; playing at; plays at
1
: to do (something) in a way that is not serious
They were only playing at trying to fix the problem.
2
chiefly British
: to play by pretending to be (someone or something)
She liked to play at doctors and nurses as a child.
—often used in the phrase play at being (something)boys playing at being soldiers
3
British
—used to say in an annoyed way that one does not know the reason for someone's behavior
What is he playing at?
Examples of play at in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Co-founded by Danny Rogers and Jerome Borazio, and now part of TEG’s live entertainment portfolio, Laneway Festival booked Charli XCX to play at the 2025 edition.
—
Lars Brandle, Billboard, 18 Sep. 2025
The only big-prize winner from Wednesday’s most lucrative Florida Lottery draw games — Powerball, Florida Lotto, Cash4Life, Fantasy 5 — played at a South Florida liquor store.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2025
Los Angeles has three receivers playing at a top level in Ladd McConkey, Keenan Allen and Quentin Johnson.
—Dj Siddiqi, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Nate Ament plays at the basketball camp in Rwanda.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for play at
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Lars Brandle, Billboard, 18 Sep. 2025
The only big-prize winner from Wednesday’s most lucrative Florida Lottery draw games — Powerball, Florida Lotto, Cash4Life, Fantasy 5 — played at a South Florida liquor store.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2025
Los Angeles has three receivers playing at a top level in Ladd McConkey, Keenan Allen and Quentin Johnson.
—Dj Siddiqi, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
Nate Ament plays at the basketball camp in Rwanda.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 18 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for play at
Cite this Entry
“Play at.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20at. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
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