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downplays

  • present tense form
    of downplay (3rd person singular).
    downplay
    verb (used with object)
    to treat or speak of (something) so as to reduce emphasis on its importance, value, strength, etc..

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Constellation Brands signals weak demand for two flagship beer brands, while Intel rises after Elon Musk downplays TSMC’s role in Terafab.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

And Attia largely downplays the risks of overtesting, which can lead to both false positives and the detection of markers that will never develop into life-threatening disease.

From Slate ● Feb. 26, 2026

However, analysts believe China downplays how much it spends on defence.

From BBC ● Mar. 5, 2025

Patti Smith downplays her recent fall onstage and blames ‘post-migraine dizziness’ for the incident, which she believes ‘does not merit so much attention.’

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 31, 2025

Meanwhile, the Regional Homelessness Authority downplays the Point-in-Time count altogether, saying other, larger numbers more accurately reflect the scale of the issue.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 7, 2024