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

The White House has played down ideological differences with Beijing, putting economics and trade as a priority in the relationship in a national-security strategy published this month.

From The Wall Street Journal

How often has the Kookaburra ball been highlighted as a point of difference between cricket played in the UK and the cricket played down under?

From BBC

After initially playing down his comments as “locker-room banter,” Mr. Trump apologized to his family and to the American people.

From New York Times

French diplomats are playing down the impact the protests at home could have on Macron's credibility abroad.

From Reuters

Harris has played down the issue on her trip, preferring to focus on building partnerships independent of geopolitical competition.

From Seattle Times

Related Words

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