Dictionary

play down en · VERB

(idiomatic, transitive) To make or attempt to make something seem less important, likely, or obvious.
- The senator played down the threat of a recession.
- The essay attempts to play down the role slavery had in the Civil War.
- During the wave of anti-immigrant sentiment, Miguel played down his immigrant status by removing Chicano patois from his speech and adopting the nickname "Mike."
- Reports that the project is in trouble have been circulating for many months and have been played down by officials. 2019 October, Dan Harvey, “HS2 costs rise as schedule slips”, in Modern Railways, page 8:

Spelling	Features	Source
playing down	Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part	lexicographic
played down	Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part	lexicographic
played down	Tense=Past	lexicographic
plays down	Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres	lexicographic