Meaning & use
play along
Last updated
Meanings
verbphrasal verb
To go along with someone's plan or pretense, often without truly agreeing, to avoid trouble or to help the situation.
Grammar: No object; often followed by with: play along with the joke.
Patterns
- play along with someone
- play along with something
- play along
I knew the story was invented, but I decided to play along.
She played along with the surprise and pretended not to know.
If you refuse to play along, the boss may get angry.
verbphrasal verb
To join in an activity, such as a game, quiz or song, from where you are, especially by following a performance or broadcast.
Grammar: No object; often used with at home or with something: play along with the band.
Patterns
- play along with something
- play along at home
Viewers can play along at home with the quiz show.
The students played along with the recording on their guitars.
Word forms
| third person singular | plays along |
|---|---|
| past tense | played along |
| past participle | played along |
| -ing form | playing along |
Common combinations
- play along with
- He played along with the prank for an hour.
- pretend to play along
- She pretended to play along while planning her escape.
- refuse to play along
- The witness refused to play along.
- play along at home
- Quiz fans can play along at home.
- willing to play along
- The kids were willing to play along.
Synonyms and how they differ
- go along with
- Go along with means to accept or agree to something, while play along often suggests acting a part you may not believe in.
- humor
- Humor someone means to indulge them to keep them calm, and takes a direct object, unlike play along.
- cooperate
- Cooperate is neutral and formal, and does not suggest pretending.
- join in
- Join in simply means to take part, with no hint of pretense.
Opposites
Word family
- play verb
- the base verb
- player noun
- someone who plays
- play-along noun
- a recording or activity designed to be joined in
Commonly confused: play along or play on?
play along vs play on
Play on means to continue playing or to exploit something, not to cooperate with someone.
Practice
My brother told a ridiculous story, but I decided to ____ so he would not be embarrassed.
Choose one answer.
Play along means to go along with the story. Play down means to make something seem less important, and play out and play back have unrelated meanings.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “play along”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.