Definition of Play off

1. Verb. Set into opposition or rivalry. "He plays his two children off against each other"

Exact synonyms: Match, Oppose, Pit
Generic synonyms: Confront, Face
Derivative terms: Match, Opponent, Opponent, Playoff

Definition of Play off

1. Verb. (sports) To compete against in a play-off. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Lexicographical Neighbors of Play Off

play games
play gooseberry
play group
play hard to get
play hardball
play hookey
play hooky
play house
play houses
play in
play it by ear
play it cool
play it safe
play list
play money
play off (current term)
play on
play on words
play one's cards right
play one against another
play out
play possum
play reading
play safe
play second fiddle
play silly buggers
play someone like a fiddle
play structure
play the advantage
play the board

Literary usage of Play off

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. Slang and Its Analogues Past and Present: A Dictionary, Historical and by John Stephen Farmer, William Ernest Henley (1902)
"to thrust, to spoil, to ruin ; то play off = (1) to simulate, ... Til we be ded, or else that we PLAY a pilgrimage [ie, to play off or pretend to go a ..."

2. The Tribune Almanac and Political Registerby Horace Greeley by Horace Greeley (1904)
"Vignaux claimed the championship and refused to play off the tie because .it was originally agreed that In case of a tie the player with the highest grand ..."

3. The Complete Golfer by Harry Vardon (1908)
"... exciting finish—A stiff problem at the last hole—I tie with Taylor—We play off, and I win the Championship— A tale of a putter—Ben Sayers wants a ..."

4. The Encyclopaedia Britannica: A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and General by Thomas Spencer Baynes (1888)
"To calculate whether to play on or play off, the average points scored ... When at home it is best to play off ; when the adversary is safe at home it is ..."

5. Slang and Its Analogues Past and Present: A Dictionary, Historical and by John Stephen Farmer, William Ernest Henley (1902)
"to thrust, to spoil, to ruin ; то play off = (1) to simulate, ... Til we be ded, or else that we PLAY a pilgrimage [ie, to play off or pretend to go a ..."

6. The Tribune Almanac and Political Registerby Horace Greeley by Horace Greeley (1904)
"Vignaux claimed the championship and refused to play off the tie because .it was originally agreed that In case of a tie the player with the highest grand ..."

7. The Complete Golfer by Harry Vardon (1908)
"... exciting finish—A stiff problem at the last hole—I tie with Taylor—We play off, and I win the Championship— A tale of a putter—Ben Sayers wants a ..."

8. The Encyclopaedia Britannica: A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, and General by Thomas Spencer Baynes (1888)
"To calculate whether to play on or play off, the average points scored ... When at home it is best to play off ; when the adversary is safe at home it is ..."

Other Resources:

Search for Play off on Dictionary.com!Search for Play off on Thesaurus.com!Search for Play off on Google!Search for Play off on Wikipedia!

Search