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

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

From MarketWatch • Dec. 30, 2025

Antonelli, who is in his maiden season and has a best result so far of third place, said he hoped the expected cooler conditions would play into the hands of Mercedes.

From BBC • Nov. 8, 2025

Do you think the large absence of seeing the murder of Jewish people, and hearing it only through sound, might play into the hands of Holocaust deniers?

From Salon • Jan. 25, 2024

Morgan, "This will continue to reinforce the importance of liquidity and consistency of pricing which continues to play into the hands of electronic trading."

From Reuters • Feb. 23, 2022

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

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela