play off
Third Person
plays off
Present Participle
playing off
Past Tense
played off
Past Participle
played off
1
to pretend not to be affected by a certain emotion or reaction
- She tried to play off her disappointment when she didn't win the award.
- The comedian's joke didn't land, but he played it off by making fun of his own joke.
- She played it off when she tripped on stage, acting as if it was part of her performance.
- When his proposal was rejected, he played it off and said he had other plans anyway.
- She was clearly hurt by the comment, but she played off as if it didn't matter.
2
to set people or teams against each other in competition or rivalry for one's own advantage
- The coach will play the two best players off to determine who gets the starting position.
- After the initial rounds, they decided to play the finalists off next Saturday.
- The tournament will play the top two teams off against each other for the championship title.
- The debate team coach sometimes plays off team members against one another during practice sessions to sharpen their arguments.
- The manager would sometimes play off team members against one another to see who came up with the best ideas under pressure.
3
to compete in an extra game to decide the winner of a tied competition
- Because they had the same points at the end of the season, the teams had to play it off to see who would advance.
- The two teams will play off on Saturday to decide the league champion.
- If we tie with the rival school, we will play off for the top spot.
- We can't decide the winner yet; they'll play the final off tomorrow.
- To break the tie, they'll play off for the trophy.