play for

1. Take part for a particular reason, as in We're not playing for money, just for fun . A special usage of this idiom is play for laughs , that is, with the aim of arousing laughter.

2. play someone for . Manage someone for one's own ends, make a fool of, dupe or cheat. For example, I resent your playing me for a fool , or He suddenly found out she'd been playing him for a sucker . This usage employs play in the sense of “exhaust a hooked fish,” that is, manage it on the line so that it exhausts itself. [Mid-1600s]

Example Sentences

Trump made a big play for young men, especially in the closing stages of the campaign.

From Salon

Adrian said: "Tash talks about how much of a privilege it was to play for Wales. She's exploited that privilege and disappointed my daughter, and lots of other people."

From BBC

Quarterback Husan Longstreet, now a USC commit, didn’t play for the Huskies in the first game.

From Los Angeles Times

Maxwell Min, the projects co-ordinator for the Frank Soo Foundation, which celebrates the life of the first non-white player to play for England in 1945, explains why he thinks there is a tension.

From BBC

What is it like to play for a notoriously demanding coach?

From BBC

Related Words

• pony up
• speculate
• wager