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

Tari Eason is an excellent defender who plays with a ton of energy and can be dangerous when his shot is falling. —Law Murray, New York Times, 18 May 2026

If your outdoor dining area lines a wall of your home or a fence, consider playing with decor pieces that have height or can be hung. —Ashley Chalmers, The Spruce, 17 May 2026

The flashback also allowed Sotomayor to play with the formal presentation of time in her story. —Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 17 May 2026

That's right, a birthday shoot of her playing with fire. —Sean Joseph Outkick, FOXNews.com, 17 May 2026