play out

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

Idioms and Phrases

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]

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

Example Sentences

His time in jail while the case played out would count towards that total, meaning if the judge agrees, Combs would soon walk free.

From BBC

If they were concerned about the made-for-video drama that was playing out a few yards away, they didn’t show it.

From Los Angeles Times

Months later, his frustration has turned into a fight to see his daughters’ lives play out.

From Los Angeles Times

Here are four scenarios for how that might play out.

From BBC

How ever this plays out, he’s not saying anything now, which was obvious when he answered the first question at his media day news conference with dodgy utterances.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• become 
• come to be www.thesaurus.com
• end up 
• eventually be www.thesaurus.com
• finish as www.thesaurus.com
• turn out to be www.thesaurus.com