play with

verb

played with; playing with; plays with

Synonyms of play with next

: 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.

Brady was in the NFL for 23 seasons, primarily playing with the New England Patriots. —

Sarah Sotoodeh, FOXNews.com, 15 June 2026 The pieces have a whimsical quality to them, recalling afternoons spent playing with Microsoft Paint. —

Kelsey Ables, The Atlantic, 13 June 2026 Sinner was initially slated to play with Emma Raducanu, but bowed out after retiring in the Cincinnati final. —

Adam Zagoria, Forbes.com, 13 June 2026 While the shoot — like the film — was emotionally intense, Danes, at 17, tried to lighten the mood by playing with an onset firearm just before shooting her death scene. —

Daniel D'addario, Variety, 13 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for play with