play down
play down
phrasal verb
playWestern diplomats have played down the significance of the reports. [VERB PARTICLE noun]
He plays down rumours that he aims to become a Labour MP. [VERB PARTICLE noun (not pronoun)]
Both London and Dublin are playing the matter down. [VERB noun PARTICLE]
minimize, make light of, gloss over, talk down, underrate, underplay, pooh-pooh [informal], soft-pedal [informal], make little of, set no store byCOBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
