play out

British  

verb

1. (tr) to finish

   let's play the game out if we aren't too late

2. informal (tr; often passive) to use up or exhaust

3. (tr) to release gradually

   he played the rope out

4. (intr) to happen or turn out

   Let's wait and see how things play out

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play out Idioms  

1. Finish, run out, as in This extreme fashion will soon play out , or The tension between factions will surely play itself out by next year . [Late 1500s]

2. Unwind, unreel, as in They slowly played out the cable . Also see played out .

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Example Sentences

There are three ways the Starship test could play out, according to a recent report from PitchBook analyst Franco Granda.

From MarketWatch • May 21, 2026

We’re seeing the effects play out on an almost daily basis, including in Monday’s orders.

From Slate • May 19, 2026

It may take a little longer for the oilfield-services story to play out than the upstream names, but I like the exposure.

From Barron's • May 15, 2026

That prompted the pill’s manufacturers to file an emergency petition with the Supreme Court to put the Fifth Circuit order on ice while legal proceedings play out.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026

Brannon, now bound to play out whatever mad charade that Odum wished, dutifully and with utmost gravity began to consume his cigar after he had carefully extinguished it in his water glass.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

Related Words

• become
• come to be
• end up
• eventually be
• finish as
• turn out to be