play to

phrasal verb

played to; playing to; plays to

: to behave or perform in a particular way for (someone or something) in order to get approval or attention

He didn't mean what he was saying. He was just playing to the crowd.

He loves publicity and plays to the cameras every chance he gets.

: to make use of (something)

a film that plays to stereotypes of housewives

In his latest album, he once again plays to his strengths as a classical musician.

Examples of play to 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.

Vanderbilt played to a 5-5 tie during its only appearance in Austin, and Texas is 0-4 as an away team in this series. —

Danny Davis, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024 The over-the-top global outing that kicked off in June 2023 in Bolton, England and wrapped up on Monday (Nov. 18) in Orlando played to more than 3.6 million people and grossed nearly $470 million. —

Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 21 Nov. 2024 That day at the park, not so long ago, the ground played to dust beneath our feet. —

Annie Liontas, The Atlantic, 20 Nov. 2024 While the Sharks played to their identity at times earlier on their homestand, the bigger and more experienced Wild took them out of their game. —

Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for play to