spotlight vs play up

spotlight is a noun but play up is not a noun.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
spotlight	Yes	No	Yes	No
play up	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, spotlight and play up are synonyms defined as:

spotlight and play up: move into the foreground to make more visible or prominent

Other synonyms of spotlight include foreground, highlight.

spotlight (noun)	play up (noun)
a lamp that produces a strong beam of light to illuminate a restricted area; used to focus attention of a stage performer
a focus of public attention

spotlight (verb)	play up (verb)
illuminate with a spotlight, as in the theater	move into the foreground to make more visible or prominent
move into the foreground to make more visible or prominent	ingratiate oneself to; often with insincere behavior