Meaning of play off | Babel Free
Definitions
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To portray (something) (as unimportant); to dismiss or make light of (a factor in a situation, or one's embarrassment about it); to pretend not to be embarrassed, upset, impressed, or otherwise affected by (it). often, transitive
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To set (other people) against one another: to induce competition between them, especially in a covert way so that they do not realize the degree to which they have been played (manipulated). transitive
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To compete in a play-off; to compete against (an opponent) in a play-off. intransitive, transitive
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To display; to show; to put in exercise. dated, transitive
Examples
“After tripping, Sara tried to play her embarrassment off by laughing with everyone else.”
“Although he's obviously hungover, he's trying to play it off as food poisoning.”
“Stalin's propensity to play off his subordinates against one another is a well-studied theme.”
“to play off tricks”
CEFR level
B2
Upper Intermediate
This word is part of the CEFR B2 vocabulary — upper intermediate level.
This word is part of the CEFR B2 vocabulary — upper intermediate level.