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
Yet Trump has shown little interest in inflation and played down the rising energy costs caused by the war prompting Iran to effectively shutter the Strait of Hormuz to oil and natural gas tankers.
—
Josh Boak, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
Asked if City are underdogs, Guardiola played down the label.
—Reuters, NBC news, 17 Apr. 2026
Trump later attempted to play down the comparison while refusing to apologize to the pope, but Catholic leaders nonetheless protested loudly against the post, which was later removed.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2026
The Hornets played great and made those plays down the stretch.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for play down
Josh Boak, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
Asked if City are underdogs, Guardiola played down the label.
—Reuters, NBC news, 17 Apr. 2026
Trump later attempted to play down the comparison while refusing to apologize to the pope, but Catholic leaders nonetheless protested loudly against the post, which was later removed.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2026
The Hornets played great and made those plays down the stretch.
—Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for play down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for play down
Verb
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That lawsuit, along with a countersuit by the PGA Tour, was dismissed a year later.—
Tim Reynolds,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
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There’s too much effort, too much time, and too much sincerity apparent behind this film to dismiss it outright.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Additionally, with machines at an elevated height, transferring clothes becomes much easier, minimizing the need to bend over frequently.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
26 Apr. 2026
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MacRumors thinks this could end up reducing the thickness of the iPhone’s display stack while improving brightness and minimizing power use.—
Will McCurdy,
PC Magazine,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The victory, which secured the Padres’ sixth consecutive series win, was their second time coming back from multiple runs down in the ninth inning.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Apr. 2026
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Spicy mayo, the color of Russian dressing, runs down the sides.—
Bill Addison,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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To locals, Soviet leaders seemed to be downplaying the severity of the explosion.—
Lizzie Johnson,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
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DeCosta downplayed the focus on size and said the team’s personnel staff is always looking for different types of players.—
Jeff Zrebiec,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Baldwin also said district custodians are understaffed, supplied with broken or old equipment, have been denied language interpreters during meetings and are in general talked down to by administrative staff.—
Addison Wright,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2026
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Shotwell seems to exude a certain kind of humility and, in this interview, even talk down her own role at SpaceX at times.—
Emma Hinchliffe,
Fortune,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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This loud-and-proud version of Sonny certainly feels progressive, but in a different way it soft-pedals Sonny’s complications.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
31 Mar. 2026
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Whatever your preconceived notions about Feldman are, Hume’s film will expand and challenge them; the movie’s greatness lies in its ability to capture all of Feldman’s contradictions and self-destructiveness, empathizing with him without soft-pedaling his sins.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Even the most ambitious stories often felt exhausted by the third installment, with diminishing creative and financial returns.—
Hua Hsu,
New Yorker,
29 Apr. 2026
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Israel has repeatedly criticized the Lebanese government for not doing enough to diminish Hezbollah’s capabilities.—
Mustafa Qadri,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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And though the local history museum is nothing but artifacts of atrocities (old newspaper report of cannibalism, a murderer’s mask), only Wyck (Stephen Root, great as always) sees anything paranormal in it, and he’s generally written off as a drunk.—
Television Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
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Per executives, Ganesh was written off for storyline purposes, leaving fans to mourn the beloved character.—
Payton Turkeltaub,
Variety,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Play down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/play%20down. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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