play along
phrasal verb·1 sense·particle along
Meanings
Pretend to agree to deceive or appease someone
Why “along”? You move along with another person's line, accepting or pretending to accept it.
“Just play along for now.”
“Maya knew the plan would fail, but she played along to avoid an argument.”
Don't confuse with
Play along means pretend to agree to deceive or appease someone. Play around means experiment in a casual way.
Test yourself
“Just play along for now.” What does it mean?
Nearby in the meaning map
Sink In connects verbs by particle pattern, contrast pairs, and shared base verbs.
play around
A contrast learners often mix up
Experiment in a casual way; Have casual romantic or sexual affairs
go along
Same along pattern: agreement
Agree with or support someone's plan; Go to an event or place, often without a firm plan; Continue an activity and deal with each part as it happens
play against
Same base verb: play
Face another person or team in a game or sport and try to win
play back
Same base verb: play
Replay a recording
play down
Same base verb: play
Make something seem less important than it is
play on
Same base verb: play
Take advantage of someone's weakness or fear
play out
Same base verb: play
Develop or unfold over time
play up
Same base verb: play
Cause problems by misbehaving or malfunctioning; Act in a way that pleases someone or a group
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