play along
Third Person
plays along
Present Participle
playing along
Past Tense
played along
Past Participle
played along
1
to pretend to support or agree with someone or something to keep things peaceful or for one's own gain
- I wasn't sure what they were plotting, but I thought it best to play along until I knew more.
- He didn't fully believe the story but decided to play along.
- The agent played along with the spy's narrative, gathering as much information as possible.
- He didn't believe the rumor, but he played along to see how far the story would go.
- Even though he knew the joke was on him, he decided to play along to keep the mood light.
Synonyms:
2
to trick someone or something over a specific period of time to achieve a particular outcome or advantage
transitive
- She realized her friend was playing her along, pretending to be interested in her ideas while secretly pursuing her own agenda.
- The con artist managed to play the naive investor along for months before his scheme was uncovered.
- He felt guilty for playing his teammates along, pretending to be injured so he wouldn't have to participate in the game.
- The politician was skilled at playing the media along, giving vague answers to difficult questions to avoid controversy.
- The salesman tried to play the elderly couple along, promising them false benefits if they bought his product.
3
to willingly participate in a game, real or pretend, to make the moment more enjoyable
- When the kids proposed their imaginary tea party, the parents happily played along.
- Even though he was tired, he played along with his daughter's bedtime story routine.
- She played along with the children's pirate adventure, complete with a pretend treasure hunt.
4
to perform a musical accompaniment to another instrument or voice
- As she sang her solo, the pianist played along beautifully.
- When he started humming the tune, the guitarist began to play along.
- She's amazing on the violin; she can just hear a song and play along.
- As the choir raised their voices, the orchestra played along in perfect harmony.
- When the drummer set the beat, the bassist eagerly played along.