1. Move into the foreground to make more visible or prominent
   - foreground, highlight, spotlight 
2. Ingratiate oneself to; often with insincere behaviour
   "She is playing up to the chairman"
   - cozy up, cotton up, shine up, sidle up, suck up

Derived forms: plays up, played up, playing up

Type of: bring out, ingratiate, set off

Antonym: play down

• firethorn
• firetrap
• firewall
• firewater
• fireweed
• firewheel tree
• firewire
• firewood
• firework
• firing
• firing chamber
• firing line
• firing mechanism
• firing off
• firing party
• firing pin
• firing range
• firing squad
• firkin
• firm
• firm omelet
• firm up
• firmament
• firmamental
• firman