John is a famous actor, but the director tried to play him down as just another member of the cast.
•Her lawyer tried to play down her earlier arrest.
Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.
cry someone/something down — (dated) DISPARAGE, run down, belittle, make light of, denigrate, decry, deprecate, depreciate, play down, trivialize, minimize; archaic hold cheap. → cry * * * dated disparage or belittle someone or something … Useful english dictionary
Down (Jay Sean song) — Down Single by Jay Sean featuring Lil Wayne from the album All or Nothing … Wikipedia
play — play1 W1S1 [pleı] v ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(children)¦ 2¦(sports/games)¦ 3¦(music)¦ 4¦(radio/cd etc)¦ 5¦(theatre/film)¦ 6 play a part/role 7 play ball 8¦(pretend)¦ 9¦(behave)¦ 10 play games … Dictionary of contemporary English
play — 1 /pleI/ verb 1 CHILDREN (I, T) when children play, they do things that they enjoy, often together or with toys: The children ran off to play on the beach. | play sth: The boys were playing soldiers. | I don t want to play that game! (+ with):… … Longman dictionary of contemporary English
play — play1 [ pleı ] verb *** ▸ 1 take part in sport/game ▸ 2 make music/sound ▸ 3 have part in play, etc. ▸ 4 when children have fun ▸ 5 when light moves ▸ + PHRASES 1. ) intransitive or transitive to take part in a sport or game: The girls are out… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
play — verb 1》 engage in games or other activities for enjoyment rather than for a serious or practical purpose. ↘amuse oneself by engaging in imaginative pretence. ↘(play with) treat inconsiderately for one s own amusement: she likes to play… … English new terms dictionary
play — /pleɪ / (say play) noun 1. a dramatic composition or piece; a drama. 2. a dramatic performance, as on the stage. 3. exercise or action by way of amusement or recreation. 4. fun, jest, or trifling, as opposed to earnest: he said it merely in play …
play*/*/*/ — [pleɪ] verb I 1) [I/T] to take part in a sport or game The children were playing football in the park.[/ex] He played for AC Milan before he was transferred to Arsenal.[/ex] 2) [I/T] to compete against someone in a sport or game She plays the… … Dictionary for writing and speaking English
play up — verb 1. move into the foreground to make more visible or prominent (Freq. 1) The introduction highlighted the speaker s distinguished career in linguistics • Syn: ↑foreground, ↑highlight, ↑spotlight • Ant: ↑play down, ↑ … Useful english dictionary
down — I. adverb Etymology: Middle English doun, from Old English dūne, short for adūne, of dūne, from a (from of), of off, from + dūne, dative of dūn hill Date: before 12th century 1. a. (1) toward or in a lower physical position (2) to a lying or… … New Collegiate Dictionary
down — 1. mod. depressed; melancholy. (See also down with something.) HI feel sort of down today. □ We’re all a little down. 2. mod. [of a machine] inoperative. (Originally said of a computer.) □ The system is down. Come back later. □ … Dictionary of American slang and colloquial expressions
