Vocabulary
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Showing 24 of 3,697 lessons.
Be silly
“The children were PLAYING AROUND and being annoying.”
Pretend to be something(inseparable)
“He just PLAYS AT being a lawyer- he never wins a case.”
Be sexually unfaithful when away from home
“He travels abroad a lot and his wife thinks he PLAYS AWAY.”
Listen to or watch something you've recorded(separable)
“We PLAYED the recording BACK to see if it was OK.”
Try to make something seem less important(separable)
“The Government has tried to PLAY DOWN the importance of the minister's resignation.”
Play a game to decide who the winner is(separable)
“As both teams had the same points, they PLAYED OFF to decide the winner.”
Continue playing a sport though there might be a reason to stop(inseparable)
“It looked like a foul, but the referee told them to PLAY ON.”
Progress, often till it finishes(separable)
“Let's see how things PLAY OUT.”
Behave badly
“The children PLAYED UP all evening and drove the babysitter mad.”
Flatter someone(inseparable)
“I'm PLAYING UP TO my boss at the moment because I want the promotion.”
Exploit a weakness(inseparable)
“They are PLAYING UPON people's concerns to get their way.”
Touch and move something to occupy your hands(inseparable)
“He can't stop PLAYING WITH his beard.”
Plead guilty to get a reduced sentence or fine
“The CEO PLEADED OUT and blamed the CFO for the fraud.”
Re-invest money you have made into a business(separable)
“We PLOUGHED BACK all the profits to grow the company.”
Collide into at speed(inseparable)
“The bus skidded and PLOUGHED INTO the bus stop.”
Continue doing something you don't want to
“It was really boring, but we PLOUGHED ON.”
Eat a big meal(inseparable)
“We PLOUGHED THROUGH all seven courses.”
Break the surface of soil(separable)
“The tractor PLOUGHED UP the field so they could sow the seed.”
“We PLOWED BACK all the profits to grow the company.”
“The bus skidded and PLOWED INTO the bus stop.”
“It was really boring, but we PLOWD ON.”
“We PLOWED THROUGH all eight courses.”
“How's she PLOWwING UP after the news?”
Pull or fiddle with something nervously(inseparable)
“He was PLUCKING AT his cuffs during the interview.”
