Thesaurus results for PLAY (UPON)

play (upon)

verb

Definition of play (upon)

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

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for play (upon)

Verb

Indeed, antisemitisms prove that a society can hold contradictory images simultaneously, such as the fact that the Jews are both anarchists out to destroy capitalism as well as capitalists out to exploit the working class.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 July 2026
And politicians are rushing to acknowledge (or exploit) those fears.

— Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 24 July 2026

Definition of exploit

Verb

Federal prosecutors said the recruitment system helped Epstein abuse hundreds of victims over decades, while some recruiters later said they had themselves been manipulated, exploited or coerced by Epstein into participating.

— Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026
Known as nitrogen-vacancy centers, these atomic-scale structures allow the system to manipulate electron and nuclear spins without needing liquid helium or high-vacuum environments.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 21 July 2026

Definition of manipulate

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play up

play (upon)

playwear

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“Play (upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/play%20%28upon%29. Accessed 27 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of play (upon)

verb

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