Definition of play 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.
