play into the hands of

Idioms  

1. Act so as to give an advantage to an opponent, as in The senator played right into the hands of her opponents when she backed that unpopular amendment to the tax bill. [c. 1700]

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Example Sentences

A spokesperson for No 10 also called on the businessman to apologise, saying the comments "play into the hands of those who want to divide our country".

From BBC • Feb. 11, 2026

“Capital markets, scale and technology play into the hands of the largest banks,” she said.

From MarketWatch • Dec. 30, 2025

And all this may play into the hands of China, Washington’s main rival for influence in Southeast Asia.

From Salon • Aug. 2, 2025

That could further spook depositors and investors, and play into the hands of the short sellers targeting the sector.

From New York Times • May 4, 2023

Such a trial, I felt, would only play into the hands of the authorities.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela