play with

phrasal verb

played with; playing with; plays with

1

: to move or handle (something) with one's hands or fingers often without thinking

Stop playing with that pen and pay attention to what I'm saying.

2

: to handle, change, or deal with (something) in a careless way

I played with the radio for a while but couldn't get it to work.

It's important to teach your children not to play with guns/fire/matches.

Don't play with my heart/emotions.

You have to take this seriously. You're playing with people's lives!

3

: to think about (something) briefly and not very seriously

I played with the idea of moving to Chicago but ended up staying in New York.

Examples of play with in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The indie singer-songwriter was inspired by playing with a band for the first time and wrote those new songs with future live performances front of mind. —Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 13 Aug. 2025

The Angels did just that, everything from getting down bunts to putting the ball in play with a runner at third to turning a triple play, which certainly goes above and beyond the normal situational baseball. —Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 13 Aug. 2025

The 23-year-old plays with an individuality that sets him apart from other defenders. —Art De Roché, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2025

The boy was playing with his brother, the parents said, when they were alerted to Cyprien's injury. —Kirsten Fiscus, Nashville Tennessean, 13 Aug. 2025