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

Amorim’s team are struggling to play with the width necessary to stretch deep defences. —Carl Anka, The Athletic, 3 Feb. 2025

Everyone from Julia Fox to Jennie Kim experiment with their eyewear, mixing the ultra feminine and the masculine, playing with silhouettes and sensuality. —Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 1 Feb. 2025

Old Toys and Board Games Have dreams of letting your childhood favorites age into antiquity or be played with by your kids or grandkids? —Quincy Bulin, Southern Living, 1 Feb. 2025

Japanese soccer player Kazuyoshi Miura turns 58 in February and plans to play with fourth-tier club Suzuka — his 40th professional season. —Stephen Wade, Chicago Tribune, 1 Feb. 2025