as in to use
to take unfair advantage of
the candidate played on the voters' prejudices
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for play (on or upon)
Verb
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Booker, who appeared to have nothing more than two glasses of water and notes on his lectern, skillfully used the rules to his advantage, permitting colleagues to ask questions to give himself brief moments of rest while still maintaining control of the floor.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
2 Apr. 2025 -
When the bill was introduced in last year’s legislative session, sponsors said that the mental health of minors who excessively use social media was a main concern.—
Lee Ann Anderson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
1 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Chinese discount retailers like Shein and Temu and many Amazon, Walmart, Shopify and other marketplace retailers have exploited the de minimus exception to their advantage.—
Pamela N. Danziger,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
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Rather than letting the moment pass, Ye seized it as an opportunity to launch another fiery critique against the Kardashian-Jenner clan, accusing them of manipulating and exploiting his children.—
Amber Corrine,
VIBE.com,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Authorities subsequently found that the boy and Ruby's 10-year-old daughter had been seriously abused.—
Liam Quinn,
People.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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Kevin Franke, the father of the children abused by Hildebrandt and his ex-wife, has advocated for more oversight of life coaches since the two women were sent to prison.—
Jessica Schreifels,
ProPublica,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The lawsuit accuses the administration of leveraging the funds to compel speech restrictions on campus and forcing the school to surrender its academic independence.—
Emma Tucker,
CNN Money,
28 Mar. 2025
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Similarly, ensure a mix of asset and non-asset providers to leverage as the market tightens.—
Andre Claudio,
Sourcing Journal,
28 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Decades earlier, Loftus had demonstrated that people’s memories of visual details could be manipulated by posing questions that contained misinformation.—
Bernice Andrews,
Scientific American,
8 Apr. 2025
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While Ticketmaster denies using surge pricing or dynamic algorithms to manipulate prices, fans like Jessica Chou question if their early participation in presales might be contributing to higher initial costs.—
Caché McClay,
USA Today,
8 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Play (on or upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/play%20%28on%20or%20upon%29. Accessed 11 Apr. 2025.
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