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Synonyms

make a play for

Idioms  

  1. Try to attract someone's interest, especially romantic interest. For example, Bill has been making a play for Anne, but so far it hasn't gotten him anywhere. [Slang; c. 1900]

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.

For all the emotional and psychological detail like this spilled in “Dynasty: The Murdochs,” it doesn’t make a play for our sympathies or leave us feeling any particular way about these people.

From Salon • Mar. 14, 2026

“I was reaching back for the puck and trying to make a play for the net,” Tanev said.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 13, 2023

Much of the content of the letters is about wider issues of diplomacy than simply Mary’s attempts to reclaim the throne of Scotland or make a play for the throne of England, Doran says.

From Scientific American • Feb. 8, 2023

And even if the Lakers were able to trade for Davis, could they make a play for another top star like Kawhi Leonard?

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2022

You’ve got a little stake–why don’t you buy a claim and make a play for big money?

From Silver and Gold A Story of Luck and Love in a Western Mining Camp by Coolidge, Dane

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.