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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.

See Examples For:

Let’s play along with the former for the sake of the cast, who are deeply committed, to their own peril.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 23, 2026

On social media, the Scottish FA did its best to bring an element of drama to it, but Clarke was never going to play along with that.

From BBC May 19, 2026

Analysts play along because it helps them maintain strong relationships with companies’ management.

From Barron's Mar. 24, 2026

“Tony doesn’t suffer fools gladly, and he won’t play along with the kind of thing where you hang out with the right industry people,” says Hues.

From Los Angeles Times Feb. 10, 2026

I see real pain in his eyes, almost as if he’s pleading with me to play along.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

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