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

How to Watch Air Force vs Colorado State Air Force fell to 2-5 in Mountain West Conference play with a 20-3 loss to visiting New Mexico on Saturday night. —Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2025

The Best Deals on Outdoor Toys Three toys that will always get played with are push toys, water tables, and some type of rocket launcher. —Chaunie Brusie, Parents, 28 Nov. 2025

The relatively small spaces are the perfect place to play with paint or tile, which can stand up to splashes and steam better than wallpaper. —Elizabeth Stamp, Architectural Digest, 28 Nov. 2025

Max Domi’s questionable play with the puck in his own zone led to the Blue Jackets’ goal. —Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 27 Nov. 2025