play down

British  

verb

1. (tr, adverb) to make little or light of; minimize the importance of

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play down Idioms  

1. Make little of, minimize the importance of, as in A skillful salesman plays down the drawbacks of the product and emphasizes its good features . [First half of 1900s]

2. play down to . Lower one's standards to meet the demands of someone, as in Some stand-up comics deliberately play down to the vulgar taste of their audiences . [Late 1800s]

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Example Sentences

But he appeared to play down the significance of the stockpile, pointing to the damage caused in US-Israeli strikes last June.

From BBC • Mar. 31, 2026

The probe comes as the bank and its chief executive have sought to play down their ties to Epstein.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

However, Rosenior sought to play down Fernandez's remarks, saying the midfielder is "committed" and the comments were "misconstrued" following an emotional defeat.

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026

European officials sought to play down the risks of an imminent supply disruption, while economists said higher prices shouldn’t do too much economic harm if the conflict ends soon.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 3, 2026

“Until recently, given the students’ enthusiasm for the reading groups, I was able to play down that data,” she wrote.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

Related Words

• belittle
• gloss over
• minimize
• mute
• soft pedal
• soften
• underplay