play up to

verb

To try to gain favour with by flattery.

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Meanings

verbplay up to (third-person singular simple present plays up to, present participle playing up to, simple past and past participle played up to)

present singular third person plays up to · participle present playing up to · participle past played up to · past played up to

  1. To try to gain favour with by flattery.
Cite this entry
APA

play up to. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/play%20up%20to

MLA

“play up to.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/play%20up%20to. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “play up to,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/play%20up%20to.

Source: play up to on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.