play down
Britishverb
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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]
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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]
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.
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
The probe into Aidan comes as Edmond de Rothschild and its chief executive and owner, Ariane de Rothschild, have sought to play down their ties to Epstein.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026
Frank has so far been handed a stay of execution by the club's board, but did not play down the desperation of his side for just a third home league win of the season.
From Barron's • Feb. 9, 2026
Despite attempting to play down the issue, Alcaraz glugging pickle juice - an acidic liquid found to stop cramping 40% faster than drinking water - was a sure sign that it was an issue.
From BBC • Jan. 30, 2026
For a child of Aphrodite, Piper tried hard to play down her beauty.
From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan
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.
