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

The film, which overcame a legal challenge on the eve of its 2024 debut, charts the story of legendary keyboardist and Grammy winner Preston who played with The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Barbra Streisand, Little Richard and many others. —Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 12 Dec. 2025

Domenic Catrine doesn't have to worry anymore about getting scratched while playing with his dog. —Stephanie Stahl, CBS News, 11 Dec. 2025

The last time Wembanyama played with the Spurs was during their November 14 matchup against the Golden State Warriors. —Justin Grasso, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025

The move comes hours after Mike Yastrzemski — who played with KC this past season and was one of the Royals’ top free agents — signed with the Atlanta Braves. —Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 11 Dec. 2025