Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

play at

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.58 in modern English

Syllables: play at
IPA

11

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

1

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see play, at.

verb

To pretend to be a different person while playing a game.

verb

To do something in a manner that lacks seriousness, commitment, or professionalism.

verb

Used to suggest that someone is doing something very wrong, or incorrectly, usually with the possibility of causing damage or harm.

verb

To play (a game).

Archaic

Example Sentences

"The band are playing at the Odeon tonight."
"So we played at being pirates for a while."
"In my opinion, John only plays at being an author. He hasn't sold more than two magazine articles in as many months."
"'You don't like him, Captain, do you?' 'No, I don't. He plays at being loyal.'"
"Hey! Stop throwing stones at the swans! What on earth do you think you're playing at?"

Usage

Archaic

Inflected Forms

plays at (present, singular) playing at (participle, present) played at (participle, past) played at (past)

Questions

What does play at mean?: Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see play, at.

How to pronounce play at

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “play at”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “play at”.
Repeat and practice — Say “play at” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.