PLAY FOR Definition & Meaning

View synonyms for

play for

Take part for a particular reason, as in We're not playing for money, just for fun . A special usage of this idiom is play for laughs , that is, with the aim of arousing laughter.
play someone for . Manage someone for one's own ends, make a fool of, dupe or cheat. For example, I resent your playing me for a fool , or He suddenly found out she'd been playing him for a sucker . This usage employs play in the sense of “exhaust a hooked fish,” that is, manage it on the line so that it exhausts itself. [Mid-1600s]

Discover More

Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Depending on Thursday's result against Bilbao, it may be all Rangers have to play for in a sorry season of failure.

From

I get to play for both teams now.

From

Far more likely, De Bruyne will play for Belgium in their World Cup qualifiers with North Macedonia and Wales at the beginning of June and then take a break before starting the next phase of his career somewhere else in July.

From

"I didn't play for a while when I left school but then I got spotted playing in Finsbury Park, and invited to play for Islington Borough's beginner group," she explained.

From

The one hope for Surrey's competitors could be a raft of international call-ups and prolific seamer Dan Worrall is now qualified to play for England.

From

Related �y��vlogs

Browse