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Glite Dictionary
🔊 To exaggerate 🙇 To flatter
to play up

to play up

1 5.5
Try to get someone's approval by giving false praise
  • phrasal verb
  • /pleɪ ʌp/
  • Informal
: adular
  • I guess I just felt like I was having to like play up to a character that I wasn't.

Last year we were playing up to what men's standards were in terms of an oppressive it was created by Megan Thee Stallion, not a man.

Examples

  • Her husband had left her for another woman, someone who laughed at his jokes and played up to his ego, who was prepared to go with him wherever he chose.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • At the party, he decided to play up to her interests to win her over.

  • So you kind of have to create the vision of who you want to be and play up to who that person is.

  • I think we ought to play up to his ego more.

    Knight Moves (1992)

  • Yeah, sometimes I play up my disability to get fast passes at theme parks.

  • I'll treat him like he's a genius, I'll play up the connection to Elon.

    The Disruptors (2024)

  • He'd have to play up to the duo if he wanted them to aid him in his planned overthrow of Ripper.

    Blog text (30)

  • She always tries to play up to the boss's preferences to get a raise.

  • To gain her trust, he began to play up to her by complimenting her ideas.

Synonyms

to kiss ass
vsto play up
  • Offensive
52 9.5

To try to please someone in power to get an advantage

conveys the same aiming for favor but in less crude tone
to suck up
vsto play up
  • Informal
48 8.0

To praise someone to get their approval

does the same but may be less servile or harshly blunt
to flatter
vsto play up
48 3.6

Praise someone with words you do not mean to get their help

also uses praise to gain favor but can include other tactics
to court
vsto play up
39 5.5

To try to get someone's support by giving attention or praise

means trying to gain favor as well but can be less personal
to fawn
vsto play up
20 7.7

Act very friendly and praise someone to gain their favor

shares the ingratiating aim but can be more casual or milder
to cozy up
vsto play up
  • Informal
17 7.0

To try to make someone like you for your own advantage, often in a fake way

also seeks favor but may focus more on praising than closeness
to butter up
vsto play up
  • Informal
17 4.2

Say nice things to someone to get what you want

tries to gain favor too but can be less heavy or blunt
to kiss up
vsto play up
  • Informal
14 7.9

Say nice things to someone to get their help or a reward

aims for favor too but can be less overtly self-serving
to curry favor
vsto play up
  • US
10 7.4

To try to get someone to like you by praising them or being too helpful

aims for favor too but can rely more on words than acts
to brown-nose
vsto play up
  • Offensive
5 8.2

To flatter someone in power without meaning it to get their favor

is similar but can be used more widely and less extreme
to honey
vsto play up
  • Informal
4 8.1

To speak very kindly to someone to get something from them

expresses the same intent but can include broader behavior
to toady
vsto play up
2 9.1

Flatter and obey someone in power to get their favor

means trying to gain favor too but not always so servile
to shine up
vsto play up
  • Informal
2 8.0

Try to make someone like you by giving fake praise or acting friendly

is the general act of seeking favor, not always by praise
to court favor
vsto play up
2 6.8

To try to get someone's approval by praising them a lot

is similar but often used in slightly more formal contexts
to cotton up
vsto play up
  • UK
1 9.8

To act friendly to someone to get what you want

shares that goal but can be used more neutrally in speech
to apple-polish
vsto play up
  • Informal
1 9.0

To give praise that is not real to get a favor

is about gaining favor as well but may be less formal
to honey up to
vsto play up
  • Informal
8.8

To please someone with too many compliments to get a favor

has the same goal but may not always use excess friendliness

How Obsequious

to grovel
42 7.4
to fawn
20 7.7
to butter up
  • Informal
17 4.2
to play up
  • Informal
1 5.5
to flatter
48 3.6
to compliment
102 1.6

Surface Forms

play up infinitive
played up past
played up past participle
playing up present participle
plays up third person singular

Morphology

play + up

There is a partial compositional link: 'play' (to act) combined with 'up' (to increase/intensify) can suggest acting in a heightened way, which could plausibly be interpreted as acting to gain someone's approval. However, the specific pragmatic sense 'to ingratiate oneself / try to gain favor' is a figurative, social-pragmatic extension that is not fully predictable from the constituents alone, so learners generally need exposure to this use.

Etymology

The verb play up may come from performers who would play up to a rich or important person in the audience, doing extra things to please them. That's why it means 'to try to gain favor with someone, often in an insincere or flattering way'.