as in to spend
to make complete use of
we've finally played out the leftovers from that huge holiday meal
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of play out
The extraordinary drama played out overnight on a holiday weekend and vaulted from tarmacs in Texas to a courtroom in Washington.
—
Arkansas Online, 1 Sep. 2025
Here's how the beef played out this week in the White House.
—Jason Lemon, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
The chapter plays out almost like an extended scene out of a Mike Leigh film.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2025
On the runway, planes sat with engines idling, ground crews making final preparations as if departures could come at any moment — all as the courtroom battle played out hundreds of miles away in Washington.
—Valerie Gonzalez, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for play out
Arkansas Online, 1 Sep. 2025
Here's how the beef played out this week in the White House.
—Jason Lemon, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
The chapter plays out almost like an extended scene out of a Mike Leigh film.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 31 Aug. 2025
On the runway, planes sat with engines idling, ground crews making final preparations as if departures could come at any moment — all as the courtroom battle played out hundreds of miles away in Washington.
—Valerie Gonzalez, Chicago Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for play out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for play out
Verb
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With wine pairings, expect to spend around €120 for two people.—
Emilio Parra Doiztua,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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Fortune’s series, The Good Life, shows how up-and-coming leaders spend their time and money outside of work.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The term broadly refers to working out while consuming only slightly more calories than the body needs to maintain itself, and getting those calories from healthy sources.—
Yasmin Tayag,
The Atlantic,
17 Oct. 2025
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These facilities consume vast amounts of energy, much of it to stay cool, a problem that optical links can help mitigate These facilities consume vast amounts of energy, much of it to stay cool.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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So much for draining the swamp.—
Veronique De Rugy,
Oc Register,
17 Oct. 2025
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Maye hit Boutte on a back-shoulder throw in Sunday’s win over the Saints that allowed the Patriots to kneel on the ball, drain the clock and emerge victorious.—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Most were far from home, overworked and exhausted while receiving no pay in the midst of a prolonged government shutdown.—
Keith Wilson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
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What looked like a shadow at first turned out to be the dog, skittish and exhausted from wandering.—
Ashley Vega,
PEOPLE,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Grant administrators logged in to federal dashboards to draw down funds that had been awarded, only to find money missing.—
Emma Green,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
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An unknown number of patients will lose Medicaid coverage due to new work requirements, and states won’t be able to draw down as much federal funding for hospitals because of limits on provider taxes.—
Meg Wingerter,
Denver Post,
20 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Like a digital intermission clock of sorts that kept the audience abreast of what percentage of the time between sets had been used up.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
14 Oct. 2025
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Definitely used up all my thrift luck with this one.—
Maria Morava,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Now, many employers are looking to harness the power of AI—initially for mundane and repetitive tasks and eventually for more complicated jobs—to reduce the need to maintain the same level of human staffers on their payrolls.—
Jason Del Rey,
Fortune,
15 Oct. 2025
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And drivers can reduce the risk of their cars being hit.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The posts from my friends and family are still there, but they are absorbed into the flow of brain rot and advertising.—
Julie Beck,
The Atlantic,
16 Oct. 2025
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Cysteine's effects were noted more in the small intestine than any other part of the digestive tract, likely because the small intestine is where most protein is absorbed, the researchers noted.—
Deirdre Bardolf,
FOXNews.com,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Play out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/play%20out. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
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