English

Verb

play out

1. (transitive) To play (a game etc.) to its conclusion.
   • 2011 February 12, Nabil Hassan, “Blackburn 0 - 0 Newcastle”, in BBC:

     Newcastle and Blackburn played out a goalless draw in a game that the Magpies dominated at Ewood Park.

2. (transitive) To play music to accompany the end of, or as a final segment in (a programme, broadcast etc.).

   And now, to play us out, please welcome Tom Waits.

3. (intransitive) To occur in a certain manner.

   Let's keep our heads down for a little while and see how things play out.

   My date played out a little differently than I imagined.

Derived terms

• play out the string