Meanings
verbplay politics (third-person singular simple present plays politics, present participle playing politics, simple past and past participle played politics)
present singular third person plays politics · participle present playing politics · participle past played politics · past played politics
- derogatoryidiomaticintransitiveto act or say something according to political ambition, self-interest, and gamesmanship instead of moral conviction and altruism; to politick
Cite this entry
APA
play politics. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/play%20politics
MLA
“play politics.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/play%20politics. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “play politics,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/play%20politics.
Source: play politics on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.