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Glite Dictionary
to play big

to play big

3 8.2
To act with confidence and take big risks
  • phrasal verb
  • Informal
translation icon : jugar en grande
  • If you want to stand out in your career, you have to play big and make bold decisions.
  • play big or go
  • play big roles

Anyone who's ever played big and risked big in love has been hurt.

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Examples

  • You got to play big, not long.

    Dr. Phil

  • Maybe something was going to unravel, so he played big for his exit.

    Blog text (13)

  • Stop playing small and start playing big because I am.

  • Stop playing small and start playing big, because I am.

  • And I still play big because I gave myself.

  • Like, to me, the litmus test in life is if you are not afraid, you are not playing big enough, it means you need to go out bigger, right?

  • "Today, Fran and Carla showed that they're in that league of great competitive spirit, leading by example and playing big when the spotlight's on them," said St. Ignatius head coach Paul Felton.

    Blog text (13)

  • To achieve great success, you need to play big and take risks.

  • In a competitive environment, it's important to play big and show your confidence.

Synonyms

to come it strong
vsto play big
  • UK
9.9

Speak or act in a strong, confident way, often bragging

is about taking real risks and bold actions rather than showy boasting

Antonyms

to play it safe
42 3.4

Choose a careful option to avoid risks

to play small
1 7.7

To act with less confidence or ambition than you can

How Bold

to go all out
39 4.1
to play big
  • Informal
3 8.2
to take risks
56 3.2

Surface Forms

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

Morphology

play + big

The sense 'to act confidently or ambitiously' can be partly inferred from combining 'play' (to act/perform) with 'big' (large/important), so a learner might guess a general sense of acting on a large scale. However, the specific nuance of being assertive, taking significant risks, or adopting a bold stance is metaphorical and idiomatic in usage (especially in business/self-help contexts) and not fully predictable from the parts, so prior exposure is usually needed.

Etymology

Play big may come from the image of an actor or musician on a large stage who must make big movements and use a loud voice so the whole audience can see and hear them. That's why play big now means 'to act confidently and take bold risks'.