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to play at
01
to do something in an unserious manner and without dedication
Transitive: to play at sth
Grammatical Information
Composition
phrasal
Action verb
Regular
Inseparable
Particle
at
Base verb
play
Present tense
play at
3rd person singular
plays at
Present participle
playing at
Past simple
played at
Past participle
played at
Examples
She's playing at writing her book, starting and stopping sporadically without a clear plan.
02
to express confusion or annoyance about someone's actions, often implying that their motives or intentions are unclear or not genuine
Transitive: to play at sth
Examples
She left without any explanation. What does she think she 's playing at?
03
to pretend to be a different person or take on a different character role while playing a game
Transitive: to play at doing sth
Examples
They used to play at being superheroes in the backyard, creating their own imaginative adventures.
