How to Use downplay in a Sentence

downplay

verb
  • Athletes often downplay their injuries.
  • Duane Brown saw no need to downplay what’s ahead for the New York Jets.
    — Mark Heim | [email protected], al, 22 Dec. 2022
  • In the short term, Putin may see it as the best way to downplay the crisis and move on.
    — Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan, Foreign Affairs, 6 July 2023
  • These folks just look good, and there’s no point in trying to downplay that.
    — Ineye Komonibo, refinery29.com, 6 Aug. 2023
  • For his part, Ken can tend to try to downplay that notion.
    — Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 15 Apr. 2024
  • These folks just look good, and there’s no point in trying to downplay that.
    — Ineye Komonibo, refinery29.com, 3 Aug. 2023
  • Focusing on the center of the cone downplays the impact of a storm.
    — Yacob Reyes, Axios, 25 Sep. 2024
  • Since the release of the first M1, there have been attempts to downplay just how much the M1 chips offer.
    — Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 27 Oct. 2021
  • That’s even as he’s downplayed the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
    — Steve Peoples, Brendan Farrington and Kat Stafford, Anchorage Daily News, 27 July 2023
  • Depp testified that Heard had clocked him in the jaw, and was trying to downplay it.
    — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 20 Apr. 2022
  • So most of these apps actively downplay full-screen video, and users seem to like that.
    — Clive Thompson, Wired, 10 Mar. 2021
  • That subplot may end in heartbreak, yet none of it is downplayed.
    — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 15 Nov. 2023
  • Brockhouse has tried to downplay the magnitude of the fire union’s decision to stay out of the race.
    — Joshua Fechter, San Antonio Express-News, 21 Mar. 2021
  • Some activists and former aides have tried to downplay their plans.
    — Elizabeth Dias, New York Times, 17 Feb. 2024
  • Yuma has been wise not to downplay its heritage in its quest for the trendy tourist dollar.
    — Sam McManis, Sacramento Bee, 25 Jan. 2024
  • Trump has downplayed the Jan. 6 attack and promised to pardon those convicted in the fray.
    — Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2024
  • In the decades since the Air Florida crash, those hailed as heroes at the time have sought to downplay their actions.
    — Washington Post, 13 Jan. 2022
  • But the singer/TV host was eager to point out, rather than downplay, the parts of the album that are most harrowing for her.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 26 Apr. 2023
  • But on the latest episode of the New Heights podcast, Kelce downplayed talk about stepping up his game in the playoffs.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 23 Jan. 2025
  • Philip Rivers would like nothing more than to downplay his return to Athens High School this week.
    — Ben Thomas | [email protected], al, 11 Aug. 2022
  • Shame on all who want to downplay Caitlin Clark’s part in filling the stadiums.
    — Chicago Tribune, 6 June 2024
  • Asked about the moment with Trump, Whitmer downplayed the gesture.
    — Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 1 May 2025
  • In the filing, Levine also sought to downplay the danger posed by Hensel’s actions.
    — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 21 June 2022
  • In his own statement, Mr. de Blasio sought to downplay the conflict.
    — New York Times, 16 Dec. 2021
  • Meanwhile, both Israel and the US downplayed the effectiveness of the strike.
    — Helen Regan, CNN, 2 Oct. 2024
  • The militia leaders condemned the attack, but most sought to downplay it.
    — Arkansas Online, 8 Nov. 2021
  • But don’t let the overall iconic nature of these events downplay them.
    — Joshua Hawkins, BGR, 22 June 2022
  • The move was seen as a way to downplay Trump's fears of Chinese influence on Panama Canal.
    — David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Feb. 2025
  • Jokic downplayed the physicality after fouling out in the third quarter for the first time in his career.
    — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 8 May 2025
  • Some chose to downplay their identities in certain settings to preserve influence or avoid pushback.
    — Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'downplay.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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