play with

phrasal verb

played with; playing with; plays with

: 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.

: 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!

: 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

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.

Since his return, he’s been playing with extra intensity, dunking the ball, chasing down blocks. —

Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2024 In both cases, IU’s offensive line and receivers couldn’t win consistently against more talented players who played with corresponding aggression. —

Joe Rexrode, The Athletic, 21 Dec. 2024 Previously, Taylor played with the Green Bay Packers. —

Gord Magill, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024 Doka has spent his childhood playing on land that would have been drowned by the Orme Reservoir, building forts in the woods, jumping over irrigation ditches and playing with his cousins. —

Austin Corona, The Arizona Republic, 20 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for play with