play down

verb

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

Idioms and Phrases

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]

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]

Related Words

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