play to
phrasal 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's the difference between playing to win and playing not to lose.
—
Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
This plays to the strengths of orchestral music like John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary.
—PC Magazine, 27 May 2025
From the kickoff of their campaigns, candidates would be compelled to reach out to all voters and not just play to the base.
—John Avlon, New York Daily News, 23 May 2025
Tsai’s Blue Pool Capital provided a seed investment for the competition, which will allow play to start in August, according to a release from the AUBL.
—Brendan Coffey, Sportico.com, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for play to
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Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 28 May 2025
This plays to the strengths of orchestral music like John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary.
—PC Magazine, 27 May 2025
From the kickoff of their campaigns, candidates would be compelled to reach out to all voters and not just play to the base.
—John Avlon, New York Daily News, 23 May 2025
Tsai’s Blue Pool Capital provided a seed investment for the competition, which will allow play to start in August, according to a release from the AUBL.
—Brendan Coffey, Sportico.com, 22 May 2025
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 4 Jun. 2025.
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