play with

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

Riot formations that are teleologically designed for making arrests also play with predictions. — Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026

For families As is customary in Bali, kids are treated like royalty by virtually all resort staff, and there is always someone ready with open arms to hold or play with them. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Oct. 2026

Thankfully, getting seven episodes to play with, this limited series is giving us more of the story. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026

In the company cafeteria, Hara watched as his coworkers squared off over a game of Go, a board game played with black and white stones on a grid. — HubSpot, 1 Oct. 2026