played out
Idioms-
See play out .
-
Exhausted, worn out, as in This was the third trip the mules had made, and they were utterly played out . [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.
Investors are hoping she can steer a turnaround after a series of bad moments for the brand, many of which have played out publicly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
Senegal's public debt is alarming, although similar situations have played out elsewhere in Africa.
From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026
The law was passed in 1983, but the changes to the retirement age didn’t take effect until 2000 and played out over a span of more than 20 years.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
Alison Green solicited reader anecdotes about how their dogs-at-work policies have played out and considers the issue from all angles.
From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026
Maybe if we’d tackled it at the start, things would have played out differently, who knows?
From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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.
