play at

Idioms

Do or take part in half-heartedly, as in She was just playing at keeping house, letting the others do all the work. [Mid-1800s]

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:

play at

As Koepka looks to iron out his game ahead of next year, he plans to play at least a couple of events in Europe.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

Uruguay defender Ronald Araujo, who can play at centre-back and right-back, is close to completing a season-long loan move from Barcelona.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

Villareal, who turned 20 just two days prior, didn’t know she would play at all on Saturday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026

"But another effect comes into play at the same time."

From Science Daily ● Aug. 2, 2026

“Did you still play at all, after Twelve?”

From "The Giver" by Lois Lowry

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