phrasal verb

• play something down, play down somethingRepresent something as being less important than it in fact is.

  ‘he tried to play down the seriousness of his illness’

  More example sentences

  • ‘But the risk is played down by the government body meant to ensure that our food is safe, the Food Standards Agency.’
  • ‘Not surprisingly, this whole episode was played down by the press.’
  • ‘Sharon plays it down, insisting it'll be a small affair.’
  • ‘As much as she plays it down, not wishing to ‘romanticise’ it, her home life must have been a rich source of inspiration.’
  • ‘We are definitely playing this win down - it's easy for the supporters to get carried away but we have to take certain things into account.’
  • ‘However, the Scottish Executive were playing the possibility down.’
  • ‘Within the corridors of parliament last week, many opposition MSPs had begun playing the affair down.’
  • ‘We are in a substantial and serious crisis and both the government and the media are playing it down.’
  • ‘If Torrance made any significant contribution to his son's tactical thinking he is playing it down.’
  • ‘But Det Supt Higgins yesterday played his role down, saying he could never have done it without the extraordinary dedication of a team of officers.’

  Synonyms

  make light of, make little of, make nothing of, set little store by, set no store by, gloss over, de-emphasize, underemphasize, downplay, understate, underplay, minimize, shrug off