1
as in to dismiss
to express scornfully one's low opinion of
out of sheer envy, she would always play down her sister's accomplishments
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to minimize
to reduce in apparent importance
if you play down your part in the project, you won't get the credit you deserve
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of play down
Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian prime minister, Albin Kurti, in an interview in Pristina, played down the importance of religion to Albanian identity.
—
Fatjona Mejdini, New York Times, 4 Jan. 2025
He’s got that ability to help a team on the offensive side of it, especially playing down low in the offensive zone.
—Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 19 Dec. 2024
Reports linking Manchester City’s James McAtee have been played down.
—James McNicholas, The Athletic, 13 Jan. 2025
However, the Benetton group cut ties with him in 2020 after comments that played down the significance of the 2018 Morandi Bridge disaster which killed 43 people.
—Reuters, CNN, 13 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for play down 
Fatjona Mejdini, New York Times, 4 Jan. 2025
He’s got that ability to help a team on the offensive side of it, especially playing down low in the offensive zone.
—Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 19 Dec. 2024
Reports linking Manchester City’s James McAtee have been played down.
—James McNicholas, The Athletic, 13 Jan. 2025
However, the Benetton group cut ties with him in 2020 after comments that played down the significance of the 2018 Morandi Bridge disaster which killed 43 people.
—Reuters, CNN, 13 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for play down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for play down
Verb
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King’s request to dismiss the federal agencies also said U.S. District Courts have jurisdiction on Freedom of Information Act requests in civil matters, as well as the claims alleging the State Department was negligent.—
Jeff A. Chamer,
Charlotte Observer,
24 Jan. 2025
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What’s more, tech companies have hired workers in growing areas such as AI while at the same time dismissing workers in less-promising sectors.—
George Avalos,
The Mercury News,
24 Jan. 2025
Verb
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These factors work together to create a solid foundation for profitability and scalability, making these businesses an attractive choice for entrepreneurs looking to minimize risk and maximize success.—
Melissa Houston,
Forbes,
20 Jan. 2025
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Try to reduce high blood pressure, manage diabetes and cholesterol, avoid smoking, and minimize alcohol intake.—
Alyssa Hui-Anderson,
Verywell Health,
20 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Curran appears next to Trump in a series of photos showing the former and future president returning to his feet, blood running down his face and raising a fist, prompting cheers from the audience.—
Michael Ruiz,
Fox News,
18 Jan. 2025
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With the current threat levels, these groups are sure to be running down leads locally, nationally and internationally to mitigate any potential threat to the inauguration or any of the high-level people attending.—
Donald J. Mihalek,
ABC News,
17 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Despite this, Trump has downplayed climate change's role.—
Hannah Parry,
Newsweek,
24 Jan. 2025
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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
Verb
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People want to be inspired by their president, not talked down to.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
Newsweek,
9 Jan. 2025
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He was talked down in most of the cases by cabinet secretaries and lawyers — until the advent of the coronavirus.—
Zolan Kanno-Youngs,
New York Times,
9 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Jean-Baptiste, her mouth set in a tight-lipped frown, her eyes ablaze with fear and loathing, soft-pedals nothing.—
Justin Chang,
The New Yorker,
3 Jan. 2025
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The movie One of the darkest true stories on this list, An American Crime never undersells or soft-pedals the ceaseless agony of Likens’ ordeal.—
Declan Gallagher and Chris Bellamy,
EW.com,
31 Oct. 2024
Verb
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The new aid package swiftly follows Donald Trump's inauguration as president of the United States once more, and U.S. support for Ukraine could diminish soon.—
Kristen Waggoner,
Newsweek,
21 Jan. 2025
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Health experts fear that a US withdrawal from the agency would significantly diminish the agency's resources and capabilities, leave the world more vulnerable to health threats, and isolate the US, hurting its own interests and leaving the country less prepared to respond to another pandemic.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
21 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The sport has never been afraid to try new things as a way to entertain the fans, and although not every experiment has been a raging success, others cannot be written off as failures.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
23 Jan. 2025
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Here's what could come next Trump also wrote off the concerns over the app sharing data with the Chinese government.—
Michelle Stoddart,
ABC News,
20 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near play down
Cite this Entry
“Play down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/play%20down. Accessed 2 Feb. 2025.
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