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.
Several chapters depict tortuous scenes from Gerry’s life as they play out in memory and on the page.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 9, 2026
His referees can get a tangible feel of how key match situations might play out.
From BBC • Jul. 8, 2026
We’ve already seen this dynamic begin to play out.
From Slate • Jul. 6, 2026
In April, when Rojas got news that his father had been rushed to the hospital, Roberts quickly took the decision on whether to play out of Rojas’ hands, scratching him from the lineup.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 28, 2026
That can’t be how Madoc thought things would play out.
From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black
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.
