play it cool
Idioms-
Act cautiously and shrewdly, as in When they asked how much she earned, she played it cool . [ Slang ; 1940s]
-
Become or remain calm, as in When they start to tease you, just play it cool . [ Slang ; 1940s]
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.
As much as we’d love to play it cool and laugh off the notion that anything matters, well, they sometimes do!
From Slate ● Oct. 10, 2026
For a young band of players in their early 20s, they play it cool; “Dulce Amargo” is their eighth LP to date.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
While Cameron said he thinks Eilish tried to play it cool and not "fangirl" when she first met him, he wasn't nearly so calm, telling the BBC he was a "fanboy" from the get-go.
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026
On the way out, after one fellow diner tells Domingo he’s a fan, the actor teases another who tries to play it cool after spotting the star.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 10, 2026
Doesn’t she know she’s supposed to play it cool?
From "Towers Falling" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
