play for
Idioms-
Take part for a particular reason, as in We're not playing for money, just for fun . A special usage of this idiom is play for laughs , that is, with the aim of arousing laughter.
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play someone for . Manage someone for one's own ends, make a fool of, dupe or cheat. For example, I resent your playing me for a fool , or He suddenly found out she'd been playing him for a sucker . This usage employs play in the sense of “exhaust a hooked fish,” that is, manage it on the line so that it exhausts itself. [Mid-1600s]
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.
Why would somebody who could play as good as my father sit in a club and play for no one except their son?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
Ezri Konsa says he is proud to play for "one of the best teams in the world" as he completed his £51m move to Arsenal.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Eight-time Olympic champion sprinter Usain Bolt has registered to play for a veterans' Sunday league football team in Manchester.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
He has now traded match play for the business arena, where he happily confirms his trademark matador edge remains intact.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
It’s like an NBA player decided to show up and play for our high-school team—that’s how good Boy21 is.
From "Boy21" by Matthew Quick
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.
