play up

verb

played up; playing up; plays up

transitive verb

: emphasize

In the interview, try to play up your strengths.

also : exaggerate, overemphasize

It was only a small achievement but the CEO really played it up.

Synonyms of play up

• highlight
• emphasize
• stress
• feature
• point (up)

Examples of play up in a Sentence

that TV news program plays up sensational stories just to get higher ratings

Recent Examples on the Web

The hotel plays up its proximity to ACL Live, with framed photographs of the show and an Austin City Limits coffee table book of images captured by the same photographer. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Oct. 2026

As for the rest of the roster, the Yankees decided Friday that Gerrit Cole would start Game 1, a decision driven by how Cole’s stuff plays up at the Trop. — Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 3 Oct. 2026

As the series continues, however, Kazan plays up the explanatory power of an incident from Cathy’s childhood. — Alison Herman, Variety, 1 Oct. 2026

Product marketing plays up the same idea, pitching double-bowl designs such as the 33-inch Ruvati workstation for multitaskers who want one spot for washing veggies and drying dishes. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Kansas City Star, 1 Oct. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1814, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for play up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup

Kids Definition

play up

verb

: emphasize