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

Players love getting new toys to play with and these are the newest. —Rob Wieland, Forbes.com, 26 June 2025

This creamy, dewy-finish option comes in 13 cheek colors to play with, including the cool-pink hue named Cheeky, seen above. —Jennifer Hussein, Allure, 26 June 2025

Ryan Kang/Getty Images The 27-year-old hasn't been shy about his desire to play with former Arizona State teammate and current Commanders QB Jayden Daniels, and adding McLaurin would be a big get for the 49ers offense. —Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 June 2025

Lita Global is a social platform where users can hire other gamers to play with them online. —Bernice Ooi, CNBC, 26 June 2025