play politics

idiom

disapproving

: to say or do things for political reasons instead of doing what is right or what is best for other people

She's been accused of playing politics with the investigation.

Examples of play politics in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Simply pointing out that Trump would rather play politics than address a problem doesn’t really clarify what Harris and a Democratic executive branch would actually do about the border. —

Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2024 Harris is right that a natural disaster is a time to work together and not to play politics. —

The Week Uk, theweek, 19 Oct. 2024 Lehane had done such a good job teaching the Valley how to play politics that others could now mimic his gambits. —

Charles Duhigg, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024 Bad managers tend to: Engage in office politics: Bad managers play politics, take credit for the work of others, and blame their team for their own mistakes. —

Allbusiness, Forbes, 6 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for play politics

Cite this Entry

Style

“Play politics.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20politics. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation