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

That decision also gave Al Mahmood an opportunity to root the film more firmly in the UAE, weaving local instruments, clothing and even songs playing with the names of different fish into the story. — Essie Assibu, Variety, 30 Oct. 2026

Third-string tight end Luke Schoonmaker is also questionable to play with a groin injury that popped up in Thursday’s practice. — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Oct. 2026

She’s played with swagger and rough edge by [title of show]’s Heidi Blinkenstaff. — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2026

The winless Heat looked determined to get its first victory of the season, playing with aggressiveness and force on Wednesday. — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2026