The Open Dictionary

play up

Related to word: play

Phrasal Verb

Definition (behavior)

  1. When children are playing up, they are misbehaving.

    • At school, when the children start to play up, the teacher has to take control.

    • If they’re not allowed to go to the party, those kids are sure to play up.

    • Some children play up especially at home, which drives their parents crazy.

Definition (function)

  1. If a machine is playing up, it is malfunctioning.

    • This printer is playing up again; I've restarted it several times.

    • If the computer starts playing up, it's best to seek technical support immediately.

    • Our washing machine started playing up yesterday and is now completely out of order.