play out
Britishverb
-
(tr) to finish
let's play the game out if we aren't too late
-
informal (tr; often passive) to use up or exhaust
-
(tr) to release gradually
he played the rope out
-
(intr) to happen or turn out
Let's wait and see how things play out
-
Finish, run out, as in This extreme fashion will soon play out , or The tension between factions will surely play itself out by next year . [Late 1500s]
-
Unwind, unreel, as in They slowly played out the cable . Also see played out .
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.
The jump in prices, and any declines in risk assets like stocks, has, as the episode plays out, quickly reversed.
From MarketWatch
The jump in prices, and any declines in risk assets like stocks, has, as the episode plays out, quickly reversed.
From MarketWatch
Now they must decide which members of the stellar 2023 draft class will receive extensions, and who might have to play out the final year of their rookie contracts.
From Los Angeles Times
A landmark legal battle over privacy, data control and the business model of big tech is playing out in India as WhatsApp's 2021 privacy policy faces close scrutiny from the country's top court.
From BBC
However, the court said the case touched on matters of public interest and should continue to play out.
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.
