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
Head coach Todd Bowles played with his father, Daryl, so the connection is already there.
—
Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2025
While the Senators played with energy, the Leafs were caught flat-footed too often.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2025
Singing, cracking jokes, running around playing with people.
—Ew Staff, EW.com, 26 Apr. 2025
God did not create man and then give him a lapdog to play with.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for play with
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2025
While the Senators played with energy, the Leafs were caught flat-footed too often.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2025
Singing, cracking jokes, running around playing with people.
—Ew Staff, EW.com, 26 Apr. 2025
God did not create man and then give him a lapdog to play with.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for play with
Cite this Entry
“Play with.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20with. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
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