30 Phrasal Verbs using “PLAY” with Meanings and Sentences:

Play along
Meaning: To act in a way that agrees with or supports someone else’s plan or ideas.
Sentence: Even though she knew the surprise, she played along to keep the secret.

Play around
Meaning: To spend time doing things for fun, not seriously.
Sentence: Instead of working, the kids were just playing around in the park.

Play back
Meaning: To listen to or watch a recording of something.
Sentence: She played back the voicemail to hear the message clearly.

Play down
Meaning: To make something seem less important or serious than it is.
Sentence: He played down the importance of the meeting to avoid worrying his team.

Play for
Meaning: To participate in a sport or game for a particular team or purpose.
Sentence: She plays for the local soccer team and hopes to join a national league soon.

Play off
Meaning: To resolve a situation or competition by a final contest or round.
Sentence: The two best teams will play off in the finals next week.

Play on
Meaning: To continue playing or to use something to your advantage.
Sentence: The coach played on the team’s strengths to secure a win.

Play out
Meaning: To unfold or happen in a certain way.
Sentence: The situation played out exactly as they had planned.

Play up
Meaning: To emphasize or make something seem more important.
Sentence: The news article played up the drama of the event to attract readers.

Play with
Meaning: To handle or manipulate something in a casual or experimental way.
Sentence: The children were playing with their new toys all afternoon.

Play to
Meaning: To perform or behave in a way that appeals to a particular audience or achieves a particular effect.
Sentence: The actor played to the crowd’s enthusiasm with an energetic performance.

Play at
Meaning: To pretend to be involved in something, usually as a game.
Sentence: They were just playing at being pirates for Halloween.

More phrasal verbs:

Play along with
Meaning: To cooperate or agree with something or someone.
Sentence: She played along with his joke to make the party more enjoyable.

Play against
Meaning: To compete or challenge someone or something.
Sentence: They played against the top team and managed to win.

Play about
Meaning: To engage in casual or light-hearted behavior.
Sentence: The kids were just playing about in the garden, not doing anything serious.

Play back to
Meaning: To respond to or react to something that has been done or said.
Sentence: She played back to his criticism with a well-thought-out response.

Play out of
Meaning: To act in a manner that is not typical or expected.
Sentence: His performance was a bit of play out of the ordinary for him.

Play around with
Meaning: To experiment with something in a casual way.
Sentence: He’s playing around with different ideas for his new project.

Play into
Meaning: To contribute to or influence something in a way that benefits someone.
Sentence: Their arguments played into the opponent’s hands.

Play off against
Meaning: To use one thing or person to your advantage by contrasting with another.
Sentence: The manager played the two candidates off against each other.

Play up to
Meaning: To flatter or try to win favor with someone.
Sentence: She played up to the boss to get a promotion.

Play with fire
Meaning: To engage in risky or dangerous behavior.
Sentence: By ignoring the safety protocols, he was playing with fire.

Play a part
Meaning: To contribute or be involved in something.
Sentence: Everyone played a part in the success of the project.

Play a role
Meaning: To have a specific function or job in a situation.
Sentence: His role in the team is to manage communications with clients.

Play it by ear
Meaning: To make decisions or handle situations as they arise, rather than planning ahead.
Sentence: We don’t have a strict plan for the weekend; we’ll just play it by ear.

Play ball
Meaning: To cooperate or participate in something.
Sentence: If you want to join the team, you have to play ball and follow the rules.

Play dumb
Meaning: To pretend not to know or understand something.
Sentence: He played dumb when asked about the missing files.

Play the field
Meaning: To date or engage with multiple partners rather than committing to one.
Sentence: She’s enjoying playing the field and not settling down just yet.

Play fast and loose
Meaning: To be irresponsible or reckless with rules or commitments.
Sentence: His tendency to play fast and loose with deadlines is causing problems.

Play second fiddle
Meaning: To be in a subordinate or less important position compared to someone else.
Sentence: He was content to play second fiddle to his more experienced partner.