play down

British  

verb

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

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play down Idioms  

1. 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]

2. 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]

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Example Sentences

Rubio, a devout Catholic, sought to play down the rift ahead of the private audience, which will be followed by talks with Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin.

From Barron's • May 7, 2026

Spurs ultimately funnelled Villa's play down the middle while also setting up to have numerous players in that area of the pitch.

From BBC • May 4, 2026

The SEC opened enforcement investigations into private-credit managers, while industry executives play down systemic risk.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 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

“Until recently, given the students’ enthusiasm for the reading groups, I was able to play down that data,” she wrote.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

Related Words

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