From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishplay for timeplay for timeDELAYto try to delay something so that you have more time to prepare for it or prevent it from happening The rebels may be playing for time while they try to get more weapons. → play
Examples from the Corpus
play for time• The governments, nervous, are playing for time.• The rebel's current ceasefire doesn't amount to much more than playing for time.• The U.S. strategy over the past weeks has been to play for time.• Henry's only plan at this moment was to play for time.• The confused evidence suggests they are acting on their own initiative, not on directives from East Berlin to play for time.• The government is playing for time.• Stop playing for time and give us an answer.• He decides, literally, to play for time and makes a debut at Nero's banquet that evening.• Truman played for time by appointing a brains trust of three to advise him.• Mr Kasyanov seems now to be playing for time, hoping to get through January without ferocious clashes with creditors.• Edmond Herv is a close friend and he tells me that sometimes you have to play for time to solve a problem. 