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play up meaning and examples

2025-09-21

Meaning

  • Play up has several meanings depending on the context:

    1. To emphasize or exaggerate something, especially to make it seem more important.
    2. (Informal, British) To misbehave or cause trouble, especially when referring to children.
    3. To cause pain or problems (about a body part, machine, etc.).

Grammar and Usage

  • Part of speech: Phrasal verb
  • Transitive use (with an object): "play up something" = emphasize something.
  • Intransitive use (no object): "The children are playing up" = misbehaving.

Structures:

  • play up + noun (emphasize)
  • subject + play up (misbehave or cause problems)

Common Phrases

  • play up the importance of
  • children play up
  • my knee is playing up

Collocations

  • play up a story
  • play up the role
  • kids play up
  • old injury plays up

Examples

  1. The coach tried to play up the team’s strengths before the match.
  2. She tends to play up her achievements in conversations.
  3. The children always play up when their grandparents visit.
  4. My back has been playing up again lately.
  5. The media often play up negative news to attract attention.
  6. The engine started to play up on the highway.
  7. Teachers get frustrated when students play up during class.
  8. He tried to play up the difficulties to get more support.
  • Emphasize
  • Highlight
  • Stress
  • Make much of
  • Magnify
  • Misbehave (for children)
  • Act up (similar meaning when talking about kids or machines)

Antonym

  • Play down (to minimize or make something seem less important)