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play politics

Idioms  

  1. Act for personal or political gain rather than principle, as in I don't think this judge is fair—he's playing politics. [Mid-1800s]

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.

“We know what our job is,” Moriarity said, “it’s not to play politics, but to ensure a thorough investigation, seek justice and to be fair to all involved, and we are committed to doing that.”

From Salon • Jan. 9, 2026

Their leader Jane Dodds said her deal to pass the Welsh government's budget last month showed she would not "play politics" with people's lives.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2025

She said in a statement, “We are not here to play politics with people’s lives — we are here to pass transformative policies.”

From Seattle Times • Aug. 23, 2021

“I don’t want to play politics with the V.A.”

From New York Times • Apr. 24, 2018

One of the things I have noticed about you is your utter inability to play politics.

From The "Genius" by Dreiser, Theodore

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.