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

Since their son was born, OP's uncle has decided that his way of showing affection is sending giant gifts that don't fit in their home and that their son isn't old enough to play with. —Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 19 Dec. 2025

Seemingly, the show uses it to write off Emily’s longtime love interest, Gabriel (played with supremely Gallic reluctance by Lucas Bravo). —Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025

Victor bought a football for himself, a Monopoly game to play with his family, and more on his second shopping trip. —Riley Rourke, CBS News, 19 Dec. 2025

Florida is still playing with a lineup without several key players — most notably captain Aleksander Barkov and star winger Matthew Tkachuk — but the team has appeared to turn the corner. —Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 18 Dec. 2025