as in to use
to take unfair advantage of
the candidate played on the voters' prejudices
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for play (on or upon)
Verb
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When Carolyn finally walked through the doors at the back of the chapel and down the aisle, Reverend O’Byrne had to lead the pair through their vows using a flashlight.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
7 Mar. 2026 -
DiBlasi said that using AI in social interactions stunts emotional growth and can perpetuate feelings of loneliness and isolation.—
Asuka Koda,
CNN Money,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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This controversy will be an early test of how Mayor Mamdani balances his commitment to parks and open space against for-profit developer efforts to exploit the city’s housing crisis to circumvent zoning rules and renege on community commitments.—
Katherine Thompson,
New York Daily News,
2 Mar. 2026
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Israeli officials have hinted the strike was expedited to exploit a daylight window of opportunity when senior Iranian leaders met.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Maxwell’s father, Robert, was a newspaper mogul with a mean streak who, Maxwell has said, physically abused her as a kid.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
2 Mar. 2026
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Hemani's lawyers also reject the government's attempt to liken laws disarming habitual drunkards to the law disarming drug users, arguing that those early restrictions covered only people who regularly abused alcohol, not all those who drink.—
Melissa Quinn,
CBS News,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The company revealed that by leveraging these properties of amorphous steel, Horse Powertrain has been able to dramatically reduce the thickness of the steel layers required that make up a motor stator.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Mar. 2026
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Investors leverage this report to measure tightness in the labor market, which influences expectations around wage inflation; in a hot labor market, businesses need to pay up to attract talent, but when there are way more job-seekers than openings, less financial incentives are needed.—
Zev Fima,
CNBC,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Easter changes date every year, and the blooms on sale are carefully manipulated to bloom on time.—
Becky Wern,
Florida Times-Union,
7 Mar. 2026
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The most fantastical parts of the movie retain some of their power because Sher and Gyllenhaal subtly manipulate aspect ratio changes and a vertical growth across the film.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
7 Mar. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Play (on or upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/play%20%28on%20or%20upon%29. Accessed 10 Mar. 2026.
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