play down — to make something seem less important or serious than it really is
Part of speech: VERB
Definition: to make something seem less important or serious than it really is
Pronunciation (IPA): /pleɪ daʊn/
Example Sentences
- My mom tried to play down my terrible cooking by saying 'It's... interesting!'
- The politician played down the scandal during the press conference.
- Don't play down your achievements - getting into that university is amazing!
play down
VERB[/pleɪ daʊn/]
to make something seem less important or serious than it really is
to make something seem less important or serious than it really is
He tries to play down the crisis, but profits lay way down!
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
A phrasal verb combining 'play' (to engage in action) and 'down' (downward direction), developed in English to express the action of deliberately minimizing or underemphasizing something. The metaphorical sense of pressing something downward evolved to mean reducing its apparent importance or significance.
Breakdown
play (to engage in action or perform) + down (downward; to reduce or diminish), where the adverbial particle 'down' modifies 'play' to create a sense of suppression or minimization of importance.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My mom tried to play down my terrible cooking by saying 'It's... interesting!'”
“The politician played down the scandal during the press conference.”
“Don't play down your achievements - getting into that university is amazing!”
“He always plays down his wealth, but we all saw his golden toilet on Instagram.”
📚Related Words
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