play with

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

Clean, relax and play with this calming bubble bath made from a nontoxic, hypoallergenic and tear-free solution that has been formulated without parabens, sulfates or fragrance. — Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026

Boley plays with command, makes quick decisions and gets rid of the football fast enough that reaching him can be difficult. — Taylor Eldridge, Kansas City Star, 18 Sep. 2026

One of them, Wilf (played with a neat balance of boyishness and menace by Charlie Webb), fancies her. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 18 Sep. 2026

Monster recasts Abby, played with wonderful mischief by Rebecca Hall, as a bitter woman on the brink. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026