play upon

phrasal verb

played upon; playing upon; plays upon
: to make people do what one wants by using (their emotions, fears, concerns, etc.) in an unfair way
Politicians often win votes by playing upon people's emotions.

Examples of play upon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web For example, notice how our sense of fairness (and through us, yours) may have been played upon by Trump and his supporters, leading us in this essay to discount the economic performance under Trump in 2020 because of COVID-19. Ryan Hogg, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2024 The exhibition continually plays upon vacillations between intimacy and exposure, with one of the Torso prints of black and white buttocks enlarged and sprawling down the length of one gallery. Ara H. Merjian, ARTnews.com, 4 Oct. 2024 For now, the Dodgers haven’t decided where Betts will play upon his return. Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2024 Each veteran performer adds some nice texture — as do the members of the ensemble — all played upon the effective scenic design implemented by Williams. David John Chávez, The Mercury News, 14 June 2024 During the show, a host — it once was Chris Hardwick — takes a group of three comedians through a rapid-fire series of games that play upon many of the trending digital conversations of the day. Brian Steinberg, Variety, 3 Nov. 2023 Apparently, the world of UFO experts can be a bitter one, and Nick Pope—who plays upon his image as the ‘Real Fox Mulder’ with numerous media appearances—has attracted criticism. Carolyn Wells, Longreads, 19 Sep. 2023 That approach has been honed and amplified under Xi Jinping, China’s leader, who has played upon nationalist sentiments and fears of a dangerous world beyond China’s borders to justify his personal power grab. Lillian Yang, Washington Post, 29 Aug. 2023 The oakmoss, patchouli, and sandalwood balance out the rose aroma and citrusy smell from the bergamot, creating a classic chypre fragrance that plays upon the dichotomy of cool and warm notes. ELLE, 25 Apr. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'play upon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near play upon

Cite this Entry

“Play upon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20upon. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!