play down

phrasal-verb
UK: /ˌpleɪ ˈdaʊn/
US: /ˌpleɪ ˈdaʊn/

  1. To try to make people think that something is less important than it really is.

    1. He tried to play down his injury, but it was clear he was in pain.
    2. The government is trying to play down the significance of these reports, claiming they are inaccurate.

  2. To minimize the importance of something; to make something appear less significant.

    1. She played down her role in the project, but she did most of the work.
    2. The company is trying to play down the negative publicity surrounding the product recall.

Synonyms

de-emphasize downplay soft-pedal understate minimize
play down transitive-verb

  1. To downplay or minimize something, often in an attempt to deceive or mislead.

    1. The politician attempted to play down the scandal before the elections.
    2. They tried to play down the environmental impact of the factory's emissions.

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "play down" in English means: To try to make people think that something is less important than it really is., To minimize the importance of something; to make something appear less significant..

The phonetic transcription of "play down" is /ˌpleɪ ˈdaʊn/ in British English and /ˌpleɪ ˈdaʊn/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "play down": de-emphasize, downplay, soft-pedal, understate, minimize.

Example usage of "play down": "He tried to play down his injury, but it was clear he was in pain.". More examples on the page.