Verb has 2 senses

• play up(v = verb.change) foreground, highlight, spotlight - move into the foreground to make more visible or prominent; "The introduction highlighted the speaker's distinguished career in linguistics"

Antonym: play down
Sample sentences:
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

• play up(v = verb.emotion) cotton up, cozy up, shine up, sidle up, suck up - ingratiate oneself to; often with insincere behavior; "She is playing up to the chairman"

Sample sentence:
Somebody ----s PP