| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
| play along |
pretend to believe, go along with, let on
|
Lisa played along with the joke on Mark. She didn't tell him.
|
| play around |
have other mates, sleep around
|
She knows he's playing around, but she won't confront him.
|
| play catch-up |
try to score the number of goals the opponent has scored,
catch up, too little too late
|
They scored four goals in the first period, and we were playing catch-up
for the rest of the game.
|
| play dead |
pretend to be dead, lie down as if you are dead
|
If a grizzly bear attacks you, play dead and it may go away.
|
| play dirty |
play rough, break the rules, play hardball
|
Even if his opponents cheat and lie, Pat won't play dirty.
|
| play dumb |
act as if you do not know, play along
|
Play dumb when she tells you I won. Pretend you don't know.
|
| play fair |
play using rules, give everyone an equal chance
|
A referee will help us to play fair, to play according to the rules.
|
| play games |
deceive people, not be sincere, mind games
|
He's been playing games with us. We can't believe what he says.
|
| play hard to get |
pretend you do not care; you do not want him
|
When Tom invites you to go on a date, you could play hard to get.
|
| play hardball |
play tough, try to hurt the opponent, play dirty
|
If the manager wants to play hardball, show him that you are tough.
|