play favorites
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In Homer’s original poem, the gods hold meetings, argue, play favorites and meddle so routinely in human affairs that Athena is practically a second protagonist.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Calvacca doesn’t play favorites, she says, but she snuggles Valentina and calls Sonny Mister Handsome.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 31, 2026
They say parents shouldn’t play favorites, but the Eurasian hoopoe—a bird known for its showy orange crest and whooping cry—clearly never got the memo.
From Science Magazine ● Mar. 21, 2024
But — even though maybe an entomologist shouldn’t play favorites — it is the dragonfly that really makes her heart sing.
From New York Times ● Apr. 25, 2023
T. Arnold Hill spoke in support of the union, but cautioned that the Urban League’s expectation was that the union would not play favorites between the races.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
