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

But Seattle made quick work of their next possession, scoring on just three plays with Zach Charbonnet’s 27-yard touchdown coming on third-and-2. —Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 4 Jan. 2026

Charlotte outrebounded Chicago 52-43 while playing with a depleted frontcourt. —CBS News, 4 Jan. 2026

The relentless energy and frenetic pace that senior guard Arie Garcia-Evans plays with for Waubonsie Valley has been on display during all four of her varsity seasons. —Paul Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 3 Jan. 2026

The Golden Eagles lost to Indiana, Maryland, Dayton, Oklahoma, Wisconsin and Purdue before beginning Big East play with losses to Georgetown at home and Creighton on the road. —Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant, 3 Jan. 2026