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

On Monday, Sir Keir sought to play down any sense of a rift with the civil service when he told MPs: "We have thousands of civil servants who act with integrity and professionalism every day."

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

The probe comes as the bank and its chief executive have sought to play down their ties to Epstein.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

Third is the post-meeting press conference, where Fed Chair Jerome Powell can amplify or play down whatever signals emerge from the other two.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

Sir Keir sought to play down the rift on Monday, adding that American and British security officials were "working together every single day, as they always have".

From BBC • Mar. 9, 2026

But I held back because I wanted now to play down his theory.

From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro

Related Words

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