play the fool
SYNONYMS
clown about, clown around, act the clown, act the fool, fool about, fool around, mess about, mess around, monkey about, monkey around, joke, play pranks, indulge in horseplay
informal horse about, horse around, screw around, puddle about, puddle around, act the goat
British informal muck about, muck around, fanny about, fanny around, footle about, footle around, lark about, lark around
British vulgar slang piss about, piss around, arse about, arse around
dated play the giddy goat
play for time
SYNONYMS
use delaying tactics, stall, temporize, gain time, hang back, hang fire, hold back, procrastinate, beat about the bush, drag one's feet, delay, filibuster, stonewall
play up
1‘there were some boys that really did play up’
SYNONYMS
misbehave, be misbehaved, behave badly, be bad, be naughty, be mischievous, get up to mischief, be disobedient, be awkward, cause trouble, give trouble, make trouble
British informal be stroppy, be bolshie
2‘the boiler's playing up again’
SYNONYMS
not work properly, be defective, be faulty, malfunction, act up, give trouble
informal be on the blink, go on the blink
3‘his injured leg was playing up’
SYNONYMS
be painful, hurt, ache, be sore, cause pain, cause discomfort, cause trouble, annoy
informal kill someone, give someone gyp
bring into play
‘all of these factors are brought into play in the strategic planning process’
SYNONYMS
use, employ, exercise, make use of, utilize, avail oneself of, put to use
practise, apply, bring to bear, implement, exert, wield
play something up
‘the press has played up the problems’
SYNONYMS
emphasize, lay emphasis on, put emphasis on, accentuate, bring attention to, call attention to, draw attention to, focus attention on, point up, underline, underscore, highlight, spotlight, foreground, feature, give prominence to, bring to the fore, heighten, stress, accent
play around
‘I played around a bit but now I've settled down’
SYNONYMS
womanize, philander, have affairs affair, have an affair, flirt, dally, toy with someone's affections, trifle with someone's affections
informal carry on, mess about, mess around, play the field, play away, sleep around, swing, be a man-eater
North American informal fool around
vulgar slang screw around
rare coquet
play on
‘it is despicable to play on the fears of ordinary people’
SYNONYMS
exploit, take advantage of, use, make use of, turn to account, turn to one's account, profit by, capitalize on, impose on, trade on, milk, abuse, misuse
informal walk all over
play out
1‘the position of the sub-tropical jet stream across North America will determine how winter plays out’
SYNONYMS
turn out, work out, conclude, end, end up, result, come out, fall out, develop, evolve
2‘this scenario plays out all across the country’
SYNONYMS
happen, occur, take place, come about, come to pass, crop up, turn up, arise, chance, ensue, befall, be realized, take shape, transpire
rare eventuate
play up to
‘he's been playing up to her the whole time’
SYNONYMS
ingratiate oneself with, seek the favour of, try to get on the good side of, curry favour with, court, fawn on, fawn over, make up to, keep someone sweet, toady to, crawl to, grovel to, pander to, be obsequious towards, truckle to, flatter
informal soft-soap, suck up to, butter up, be all over, lick someone's boots, brown-nose
British vulgar slang kiss someone's arse, lick someone's arse
North American vulgar slang kiss someone's ass, lick someone's ass
play a part in
‘historical events have also played a part in directing these efforts’
SYNONYMS
contribute to, be instrumental in, be a factor in, be partly responsible for, have a hand in, be conducive to, make for, lead to, cause, give rise to
help, promote, advance, further, forward, oil the wheels of, open the door for, add to
formal conduce to
play ball
‘if you play ball, I can help you’
SYNONYMS
cooperate, collaborate, play along, play the game, go along with the plan, show willing, be willing, help, lend a hand, assist, be of assistance, contribute, reciprocate, respond
pitch in
play something down
‘ministers sought to play down the extent of the damage’
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
soft-pedal, tone down, diminish, downgrade, trivialize, detract from, underrate, underestimate, undervalue, think little of, disparage, decry, deprecate, talk down, belittle, slight, scoff at, sneer at
informal pooh-pooh
rare derogate
played out
‘the melodrama is a little played out to be entirely satisfying’
SYNONYMS
stale, hackneyed, well worn, clichéd, stock, trite, banal, worn out, time-worn, threadbare, hoary, tired, overused, obsolete, antiquated, finished, old
clapped out, old hat, hacky
play at
‘he will play at being kind and good’
SYNONYMS
pretend to be, give the appearance of, affect the role of, assume the role of, pass oneself off as, masquerade as, profess to be, pose as, impersonate, make out, fake, feign, simulate, affect, go through the motions of
North American informal make like
play havoc with
‘dust will play havoc with electrical systems’
SYNONYMS
disturb, disrupt, disorder, disorganize, disarrange, interfere with, upset, unsettle, convulse
obstruct, impede, hamper
hold up, delay, retard, slow, slow down
throw into confusion, throw into disorder, throw into disarray, cause confusion in, cause turmoil in, derange, turn upside-down, make a mess of
ruin, wreck, spoil, undo, mar, frustrate, blight, crush, quell, quash, dash, scotch, shatter, devastate, demolish, sabotage
informal mess up, screw up, louse up, foul up, make a hash of, do in, put paid to, put the lid on, put the kibosh on, stymie, queer, nix, banjax, blow a hole in
British informal scupper, dish, throw a spanner in the works of
North American informal throw a monkey wrench in the works of
Australian informal euchre, cruel
play the game
‘I don't trust them—they don't always play the game’
SYNONYMS
play fair, be fair, play by the rules, abide by the rules, follow the rules, conform, be a good sport, toe the line, keep in step
play something out
‘the simmering tension between them is played out against the sweep of world events’
SYNONYMS
portray, represent, depict, characterize, describe, present
enact, perform, render, act, stage
express, give expression to, communicate, set forth, articulate
play on words
‘its very title turns out to be a play on words’
SYNONYMS
pun, wordplay, double entendre, double meaning, innuendo, witticism, quip, quibble
rare paronomasia, equivoque, amphibology, pivot, calembour, carriwitchet, clench, clinch, conundrum, nick, pundigrion, whim