play upon
phrasal verb
played upon; playing upon; plays upon
: to make people do what one wants by using (their emotions, fears, concerns, etc.) in an unfair way
Politicians often win votes by playing upon people's emotions.
Examples of play upon in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
An orchestra played upon their arrival and West displayed a message on the jumbotron asking Kim to marry him in the lavish proposal, where she was joined by her family and friends.
—
Julia Moore, People.com, 13 Mar. 2025
These are the doubts that scammers and hackers play upon to ply their trades.
—Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, Fox News, 22 Feb. 2025
Our costumes play upon the idea of peasants making fun of royalty.
—Jenny Adams, AFAR Media, 23 Jan. 2025
The interface is different from TikTok’s in that a video does not immediately start playing upon the app’s opening and users must log in to begin using it.
—Kalhan Rosenblatt, NBC News, 14 Jan. 2025
For example, notice how our sense of fairness (and through us, yours) may have been played upon by Trump and his supporters, leading us in this essay to discount the economic performance under Trump in 2020 because of COVID-19.
—Ryan Hogg, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2024
The exhibition continually plays upon vacillations between intimacy and exposure, with one of the Torso prints of black and white buttocks enlarged and sprawling down the length of one gallery.
—Ara H. Merjian, ARTnews.com, 4 Oct. 2024
For now, the Dodgers haven’t decided where Betts will play upon his return.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2024
Each veteran performer adds some nice texture — as do the members of the ensemble — all played upon the effective scenic design implemented by Williams.
—David John Chávez, The Mercury News, 14 June 2024
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.
Julia Moore, People.com, 13 Mar. 2025
These are the doubts that scammers and hackers play upon to ply their trades.
—Kurt Knutsson, Cyberguy Report, Fox News, 22 Feb. 2025
Our costumes play upon the idea of peasants making fun of royalty.
—Jenny Adams, AFAR Media, 23 Jan. 2025
The interface is different from TikTok’s in that a video does not immediately start playing upon the app’s opening and users must log in to begin using it.
—Kalhan Rosenblatt, NBC News, 14 Jan. 2025
For example, notice how our sense of fairness (and through us, yours) may have been played upon by Trump and his supporters, leading us in this essay to discount the economic performance under Trump in 2020 because of COVID-19.
—Ryan Hogg, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2024
The exhibition continually plays upon vacillations between intimacy and exposure, with one of the Torso prints of black and white buttocks enlarged and sprawling down the length of one gallery.
—Ara H. Merjian, ARTnews.com, 4 Oct. 2024
For now, the Dodgers haven’t decided where Betts will play upon his return.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2024
Each veteran performer adds some nice texture — as do the members of the ensemble — all played upon the effective scenic design implemented by Williams.
—David John Chávez, The Mercury News, 14 June 2024
Cite this Entry
“Play upon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20upon. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share