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
The Boston Red Sox traditionally play at home in Fenway Park with the first pitch usually at 11:10 a.m., something that the team has done for more than six decades.
—
Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA Today, 19 Apr. 2025
Happ has played at Wrigley Field long enough to know that the two runs the Cubs had through six innings wouldn’t be enough.
—Sahadev Sharma, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2025
Some see Minecraft potentially hitting $50M; Minecraft is playing at 4,032 theaters, while Sinners is at 3,308 sites.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 18 Apr. 2025
Their documentary, Weirdo: The Story of Five Eight, is playing at indie film and music festivals around the country.
—Jennifer Kite-Powell, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for play at
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Fernando Cervantes Jr., USA Today, 19 Apr. 2025
Happ has played at Wrigley Field long enough to know that the two runs the Cubs had through six innings wouldn’t be enough.
—Sahadev Sharma, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2025
Some see Minecraft potentially hitting $50M; Minecraft is playing at 4,032 theaters, while Sinners is at 3,308 sites.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 18 Apr. 2025
Their documentary, Weirdo: The Story of Five Eight, is playing at indie film and music festivals around the country.
—Jennifer Kite-Powell, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 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 22 Apr. 2025.
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