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

This, after all, was not how Wales had imagined Tuesday would play out.

From BBC

I want to see how things play out online as we approach a landmark Senedd election.

From BBC

While all of this was playing out, Burden was isolated, unable to access her support system during lockdown.

From Los Angeles Times

As part of their preparations Japan face England on Tuesday in a friendly after beating Scotland 1-0, while the Three Lions played out a 1-1 stalemate against Uruguay on Friday.

From BBC

A similar dynamic is playing out in natural gas markets.

From Barron's

Related Words

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