play by the rules en · VERB
Meanings
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to do what is expected.
Perhaps because it played by the rules while challenging them at the same time, Brokeback Mountain's place in film history is assured.
2025 June 20, Nick Levine, “'In every theatre, people would leave': How 'gay cowboy movie' Brokeback Mountain challenged Hollywood – and the US”, in BBC:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| playing by the rules | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| played by the rules | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| played by the rules | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| plays by the rules | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic |