play out
Britishverb
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(tr) to finish
let's play the game out if we aren't too late
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informal (tr; often passive) to use up or exhaust
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(tr) to release gradually
he played the rope out
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(intr) to happen or turn out
Let's wait and see how things play out
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Finish, run out, as in This extreme fashion will soon play out , or The tension between factions will surely play itself out by next year . [Late 1500s]
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Unwind, unreel, as in They slowly played out the cable . Also see played out .
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.
The wide centre-back has contributed to attacking play out wide.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
Even homeowners with ARMs that aren’t resetting anytime soon say they’re anxious about how the loan will play out for them.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
State Sen. Catherine Blakespear, author of Senate Bill 1135, said she’s seen it play out with sea lions around La Jolla Cove.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026
WSJLI: How have employees responded to your rollout of AI tools internally, and how do you think AI adoption will ultimately play out?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
Now I had no choice but to play out my scene here.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
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.
