play at
Third Person
plays at
Present Participle
playing at
Past Tense
played at
Past Participle
played at
1
to do something in an unserious manner and without dedication
transitive
- She's playing at writing her book, starting and stopping sporadically without a clear plan.
- He's not genuinely interested in becoming a chef; he's just playing at it for now.
- They claim to be a professional band, but from their performance, it seemed they were merely playing at being musicians.
- You can't just play at running a business; it requires dedication and hard work.
- I don't think he's serious about his fitness goals; he's just playing at going to the gym.
2
to express confusion or annoyance about someone's actions, often implying that their motives or intentions are unclear or not genuine
transitive
- She left without any explanation.What does she think she's playing at?
- He gave a vague reply and then went silent.Seriously, what's he playing at?
- I don't know what she's playing at by flirting with him one minute and ignoring him the next.
3
to pretend to be a different person or take on a different character role while playing a game
transitive
- They used to play at being superheroes in the backyard, creating their own imaginative adventures.
- During the school play, she got to play at being a queen, wearing a crown and sitting on a makeshift throne.
- As a fun exercise, the teacher had students play at being world leaders, discussing global issues in a mock United Nations session.
- The children were playing at being pirates, complete with eye patches and pretend swords.
- The game allowed players to play at being ancient rulers, making decisions that would shape the course of history.