as in to exploit
to control or take advantage of by artful, unfair, or insidious means
played upon the customer's vanity to convince her to buy the expensive makeup kit
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for play (upon)
Verb
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In theory, Slot’s tactical out-of-possession shuffle to a staggered 4-3-3 should help Liverpool to defend on their right flank, but the ease with which Chelsea exploited the space was a culmination of weeks of warning signs.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025 -
What figures such as Tate, Caz, Maalouf, and others are doing is exploiting civil instability and installing themselves as truth-tellers in a society where experts can’t be trusted.—
T. M. Brown,
New Yorker,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Because there’s no route concept here, no trying to manipulate a defense with a quarterback’s eyes, or with misdirection, or by flooding a zone.—
David Aldridge,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
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There’s been no improvement in their real economy despite a stock market that seems manipulated higher, a la 2016.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
12 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Play (upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/play%20%28upon%29. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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