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
In fact, the clock stopped after six consecutive plays to end the drive, including twice when the Bears called timeout.
—
Mike Sando, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
The Patriots drove 93 yards down the field on 14 plays to set up a 23-yard field goal from Andy Borregales to get on the board first for a 3-0 lead.
—Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 12 Jan. 2026
DeRozan converted a three-point play to give the Kings a 78-76 lead going into the fourth quarter.
—Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 11 Jan. 2026
Bank of America goes beyond the sector approach to comparing Chinese retail plays to convertible bonds.
—Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 11 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Play to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20to. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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