play to
verb
played to; playing to; plays to
1
: to behave or perform in a particular way for (someone or something) in order to get approval or attention
He didn't mean what he was saying. He was just playing to the crowd.
He loves publicity and plays to the cameras every chance he gets.
2
: to make use of (something)
a film that plays to stereotypes of housewives
In his latest album, he once again plays to his strengths as a classical musician.
Examples of play to in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
That was no more evident than when Kansas jumped from 104th in yards per play to 5th, and from 91st to 5th in passing efficiency.
—
Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
6 July 2026
On the other side of the diamond, first baseman Rafael Devers made his own impressive play to keep a run off Ray’s line.
—
Justice Delos Santos,
Mercury News,
5 July 2026
Leite had two three-point plays to start the third quarter and Frieda Buhner came off the bench to score all nine of her points over a six-minute span as Portland turned a 32-30 halftime lead into a 54-47 advantage.
—
ABC News,
4 July 2026
With Eustáquio playing to or near the final whistle in four of Canada’s five games, the World Cup proved he is fully recovered.
—
Josh Gross,
Daily News,
4 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for play to
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Shreyas Laddha,
Kansas City Star,
6 July 2026
On the other side of the diamond, first baseman Rafael Devers made his own impressive play to keep a run off Ray’s line.
—
Justice Delos Santos,
Mercury News,
5 July 2026
Leite had two three-point plays to start the third quarter and Frieda Buhner came off the bench to score all nine of her points over a six-minute span as Portland turned a 32-30 halftime lead into a 54-47 advantage.
—
ABC News,
4 July 2026
With Eustáquio playing to or near the final whistle in four of Canada’s five games, the World Cup proved he is fully recovered.
—
Josh Gross,
Daily News,
4 July 2026
See All Example Sentences for play to
Cite this Entry
“Play to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20to. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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