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
Whatever the case, Betts never played with the Allman Brothers Band again after 2000.
—
Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 18 Apr. 2024
Aaron Hunter was shot in the head at 13 while playing with friends.
—Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 18 Apr. 2024
Critics have split over the movie’s scope and intentions, and whether Garland is playing with fire by invoking real-world political tensions while keeping the particulars blurry.
—Alan Zilberman, Washington Post, 17 Apr. 2024
On the nights when James has been able to play with his foot on the gas on both ends of the court, the Lakers have been as difficult to beat as any team.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2024
Selena Ceja, who has a large and lovely operatic voice and endearing stage presence, leads the cast as 19-year-old Natasha, who forsakes her absent fiancé Andrey for the handsome but deceptive womanizer Anatole, played with oozing wolfish charm by Michael Louis Cusimano.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Apr. 2024
Frandsen, who played with the Angels, Phillies and Nationals before coming back to the Giants in 2015, said not much changed about Crawford while Frandsen was with other teams.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2024
Do all the stories play with the conventions of genre in this way?
—Deborah Treisman, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
The latter two were playing with Louis Oosthuizen in the group ahead of Garcia.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2024
Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 18 Apr. 2024
Aaron Hunter was shot in the head at 13 while playing with friends.
—Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 18 Apr. 2024
Critics have split over the movie’s scope and intentions, and whether Garland is playing with fire by invoking real-world political tensions while keeping the particulars blurry.
—Alan Zilberman, Washington Post, 17 Apr. 2024
On the nights when James has been able to play with his foot on the gas on both ends of the court, the Lakers have been as difficult to beat as any team.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2024
Selena Ceja, who has a large and lovely operatic voice and endearing stage presence, leads the cast as 19-year-old Natasha, who forsakes her absent fiancé Andrey for the handsome but deceptive womanizer Anatole, played with oozing wolfish charm by Michael Louis Cusimano.
—Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Apr. 2024
Frandsen, who played with the Angels, Phillies and Nationals before coming back to the Giants in 2015, said not much changed about Crawford while Frandsen was with other teams.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2024
Do all the stories play with the conventions of genre in this way?
—Deborah Treisman, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024
The latter two were playing with Louis Oosthuizen in the group ahead of Garcia.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'play with.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near play with
Cite this Entry
“Play with.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20with. Accessed 27 Apr. 2024.
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