1
: one or more plays in book form
2
: a notebook containing diagrammed football plays
3
: a stock of usual tactics or methods
straight from his opponent's political playbook

Examples of playbook in a Sentence

He studied the new plays in the team's playbook.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
As Vogue Business reported last year, brands were quick to adjust their playbooks as GLP-1 use became increasingly widespread. Perdita Nouril, Vogue, 21 Aug. 2026 After more than 20 years of working for major tech companies as a user-experience designer (UX) – from LinkedIn to Amazon to Google – Tim Sparks is now drawing up a new playbook. Max Darrow, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026 During the early pandemic years, as Netflix’s rivals tried (and failed) to emulate its playbook to compete in a scale game for subscribers, the state also was a beneficiary. Erik Hayden, HollywoodReporter, 20 Aug. 2026 Two decades later, that hasn’t changed, even if Adams’ playbook constantly does. Jourdan Rodrigue, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for playbook

Word History

First Known Use

1511, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of playbook was in 1511

Cite this Entry

“Playbook.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/playbook. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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