play up to

1. Curry favor with, flatter, as in There's no use playing up to the boss; it doesn't influence him. This expression originated about 1800 in the theater, where it meant “to support or assist another actor.” Within a couple of decades it was being used in other venues.

Example Sentences

The Rams made no changes in the group from 2024, and they are confident that the late-season addition Forbes will play up to his potential as a former first-round draft pick.

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Inspired by notorious occultist Aleister Crowley, this track from 1980's Blizzard of Ozz allowed Osbourne to play up to his mock-satanic image.

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Bayern could play up to 64 games this season, and again many of their players will also feature in national team games on top of that figure.

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“There were some matches in the Olympics where I felt like we didn’t play up to our standard, or played our system as well as we could have,” Budinger said.

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“We didn’t play up to our standard,” he said of last season.

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Related Words

• appeal to www.thesaurus.com
• attract 
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• charm 
• dare 
• fascinate 
• induce 
• intrigue 
• invite 
• motivate 
• persuade 
• seduce 
• stimulate 
• tantalize 
• woo