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

Chloe Thompson, Denver North’s goalie who has played with Gentry since elementary school, witnessed a relentless competitor who understands how greatness gets crafted in the practice beyond practice. —Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 7 June 2026

The action-adventure movie had a production budget of about $170 million and aimed to reintroduce the ’80s-era action hero He-Man to a new audience, while also driving the nostalgia of adults who played with the franchise toys or watched the original film and series. —Samantha Masunaga, Los Angeles Times, 7 June 2026

Lucic also played with the Kings, Oilers and Flames over eight seasons. —Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 7 June 2026

Sabitzer has spent the majority of his career in the German Bundesliga, but just missed playing with Alaba at Bayern Munich. —Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 7 June 2026