in play
Idioms-
In action or operation. For example, A number of conflicting forces were in play, so the outcome was uncertain . It is also put as bring into play , meaning “to put into action,” as in The surprise witness brought new evidence into play . [Mid-1600s]
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In sports, in a position to be legally or feasibly played, as in The ball is now in play . [Late 1700s]
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In business, in a position for a possible corporate takeover, as in After a news item said the company was in play, the price of its stock began to rise . [ Colloquial ; second half of 1900s]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In a break in play around the half-hour mark, Mikey Moore, exciting, dangerous and 18 years old, juggled the ball around the halfway line.
From BBC
Unless something changes for the better, selloffs could resurface when the index hits 7000, putting a “potential bearish pattern” in play.
From Barron's
This was such a familiar nightmare for the Scots, their darkest fears in play, their rugby sanity at stake.
From BBC
But several participants noted that they would have preferred language that kept rate hikes explicitly in play, should inflation remain above target.
From Barron's
She’s learned to conceive her pieces considering that in his movies real water, mud, snow and fake blood might be in play.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
