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

Upon checking the footage, Taylor was greeted by the horrifying site of his mischievous dog playing with a plastic plant pot – leaving its contents all over the floor. —Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025

Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson played with Washington in college at Georgia. —Matt Zahn, CBS News, 21 Nov. 2025

Joey’s sort of retired from playing with the band. —Gary Graff, Billboard, 21 Nov. 2025

The Hokies closed nonconference play with a win over Wofford and opened ACC play with a win over NC State but have dropped four of their past five since. —Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 21 Nov. 2025