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.
Going back to Amorim's United once more, when they did play out from the back, they would execute pre-planned passing routines.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
It’s unclear how the conflict will play out.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
However, in the case of a slowdown in demand for AI, it’s unclear how things would play out with a new tenant.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
I’ve watched that story play out many times with elite athletes.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
At the end, when Goblin had got most of the play out of him, they changed horses.
From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes
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.
