play along
Britishverb
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to cooperate (with), esp as a temporary measure
-
(tr) to manipulate as if in a game, esp for one's own advantage
he played the widow along until she gave him her money
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.
Analysts routinely play along with the companies they cover, stripping out recurring costs like stock-based pay.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
And when people play along, they’ll start paying closer attention to the daily transactions, as they’re happening in the moment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
Ayinde, a Nigerian businesswoman with British citizenship, said she been encouraged by the west African country's security services to "play along" with those in government who were asking her for bribes.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
It’s this exposé of societal absurdity and Meursault’s atheistic refusal to play along with pacifying notions of sin and redemption, that makes“The Stranger” a pinnacle of confrontational literature.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026
But she decided in that instant to play along.
From "The Devil's Arithmetic" by Jane Yolen
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.
