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play along

British  

verb

  1. to cooperate (with), esp as a temporary measure

  2. (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
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
play along Idioms  

  1. Cooperate or pretend to cooperate, as in They decided to play along with the robbers, at least for a while. [Colloquial; 1920s]

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.

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

So far, it has paid for investors to play along.

From Barron's • Feb. 20, 2026

Michelle gamely tries to play along, pretending she’s an alien.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 23, 2025

I decided to play along with Syndicate after taking advice from a senior BBC editor.

From BBC • Sep. 29, 2025

After years of watching me film, Rose is happy to play along, to star or cameo.

From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed

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.