play at
phrasal verb
played at; playing at; plays at
1
: to do (something) in a way that is not serious
They were only playing at trying to fix the problem.
2
chiefly British
: to play by pretending to be (someone or something)
She liked to play at doctors and nurses as a child.
—often used in the phrase play at being (something)boys playing at being soldiers
3
British
—used to say in an annoyed way that one does not know the reason for someone's behavior
What is he playing at?
Examples of play at in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
All of this begs the question: how the hell can only eight percent of the artists played at country radio right now be women?
—
Steve Baltin, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
The 6-foot-2 quarterback has the most experience; he’s previously played at South Carolina, Auburn and Oregon.
—Emma Moon, Charlotte Observer, 23 July 2025
Sam Peek, who played three years at Wesleyan before finishing his college career at Stetson, scored four of the eight point needed in the final stretch, then assisted on the winning basket by David Murray, who played at Connecticut College.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 23 July 2025
Teoscar Hernández has been playing at less than 100 percent for much of his time since returning from the IL in mid-May (a stretch where he’s produced a .578 OPS entering Tuesday).
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for play at
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Steve Baltin, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
The 6-foot-2 quarterback has the most experience; he’s previously played at South Carolina, Auburn and Oregon.
—Emma Moon, Charlotte Observer, 23 July 2025
Sam Peek, who played three years at Wesleyan before finishing his college career at Stetson, scored four of the eight point needed in the final stretch, then assisted on the winning basket by David Murray, who played at Connecticut College.
—Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 23 July 2025
Teoscar Hernández has been playing at less than 100 percent for much of his time since returning from the IL in mid-May (a stretch where he’s produced a .578 OPS entering Tuesday).
—Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 23 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for play at
Cite this Entry
“Play at.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20at. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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