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

Despite that, Kansas City played with genuine effort, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. —Kansas City Star, 26 Dec. 2025

My 4-year-old is constantly asking to play with her new toys, which are now stacked all over the living room, waiting for a permanent place in our already cluttered home. —Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 26 Dec. 2025

In another session at the Forum, 93-year-old Almut Schultz laughed with delight while viewing a virtual classical music performance at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado and later seemed to want to play with a puppy frolicking around in her VR headset. —Michael Liedtke, Fortune, 26 Dec. 2025

Perhaps most notably, lapels may also be played with, the standard options being the sharp and more formal peaked lapel, or the slightly louche and rakish shawl. —Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 26 Dec. 2025