plays the race card

A form of play the race card — To assert that race or racism is involved in a situation, especially in order to exploit racist or antiracist attitudes.

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Meanings

verb
  1. indicativepresentsingularthird personthird-person singular simple present indicative of play the race card
Cite this entry
APA

plays the race card. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/plays%20the%20race%20card

MLA

“plays the race card.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/plays%20the%20race%20card. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “plays the race card,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/plays%20the%20race%20card.

Source: plays the race card on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.