play out

British  

verb

1. (tr) to finish

   let's play the game out if we aren't too late

2. informal (tr; often passive) to use up or exhaust

3. (tr) to release gradually

   he played the rope out

4. (intr) to happen or turn out

   Let's wait and see how things play out

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play out Idioms  

1. 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]

2. Unwind, unreel, as in They slowly played out the cable . Also see played out .

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Example Sentences

Still, much is unclear about how the situation will play out.

From MarketWatch

Still, much is unclear about how the situation will play out.

From MarketWatch

The give-and-take over bringing state workers into the office is playing out as public agencies take different approaches to remote work since the pandemic.

From Los Angeles Times

We Pay The Tariffs, a coalition of small businesses, said it was demanding quick and automatic refunds, and that its members can’t afford to wait years for that process to play out.

From MarketWatch

But it is my judgement that their experience and knowledge offer a greater understanding of how events have played out and are worth hearing from.

From BBC

Related Words

• become
• come to be
• end up
• eventually be
• finish as
• turn out to be