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 18-year-old Seini most recently played with Varese Academy, the youth development program of the professional Italian team, Pallacanestro Varese, a club team in Italy’s top league. —Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 14 Nov. 2025

Competitive spirit Kings coach Doug Christie called out his team for failing to play with pride and a competitive spirit during an intense postgame press conference following Wednesday’s loss to the Hawks. —Jason Anderson, Sacbee.com, 14 Nov. 2025

After Coverdale's address, a sweet five-minute tribute montage from his career played with — what else? —Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Nov. 2025

Jason is a Hall of Fame NFL player Jason is a former defensive end who spent 15 seasons in the NFL, playing with the Jets, Miami Dolphins and the Washington Commanders. —Nasha Smith, PEOPLE, 14 Nov. 2025