Base verb
Phrasal verbs with play
The verb play combines with 7 particles to form everyday phrasal verbs. Each particle steers the meaning in its own direction — here they are with clear definitions and examples, so you can see the whole family at once.
7 phrasal verbs · 9 meanings
play along
1 sense- Pretend to agree to deceive or appease someone
play around
2 senses- Experiment in a casual way
- Have casual romantic or sexual affairs
play back
1 sense- Replay a recording
play down
1 sense- Make something seem less important than it is
play on
1 sense- Take advantage of someone's weakness or fear
play out
1 sense- Develop or unfold over time
play up
2 senses- Cause problems by misbehaving or malfunctioning
- Act in a way that pleases someone or a group
Practice the play family in Sink In
Sink In drills every sense of play with spaced repetition — recognition, particle cloze, and meaning recall — so the whole family sticks instead of blurring together.