play at

verb

played at; playing at; plays at

1

: to do (something) in a way that is not serious

They were only playing at trying to fix the problem.

2

chiefly British : to play by pretending to be (someone or something)

She liked to play at doctors and nurses as a child.

—often used in the phrase play at being (something)

boys playing at being soldiers

3

British

—used to say in an annoyed way that one does not know the reason for someone's behavior

What is he playing at?

Examples of play at in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Films playing at this year’s edition of the Rio Film Festival have tried to grasp the dire effects of the first Bolsonaro administration. — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026

Together and apart, Saville and Boty worked and played at the acme of a hip London artistic scene very different from the folk music pubs. — Sean Wilentz, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2026

Cut to Beard, who is reading how Emma Stone is starring in Jane’s play at the West End, with Richard Schiff starring as the Bearded Coach. — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026

Games are played at all sorts of times on myriad channels requiring multiple subscriptions. — Jacob Feldman, Sportico.com, 6 Oct. 2026

Rhymes for play at

• begat
• bobcat
• chitchat
• doormat
• ducat
• eclat
• format
• hazmat
• muskrat
• nonfat
• polecat
• thereat