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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Outside the capital, guerrilla groups and organized crime syndicates are exploiting the power vacuum along Venezuela’s borders and in its resource-rich interior.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
9 Jan. 2026 -
The final part of the dormancy evolution puzzle is what ecologists refer to as the ecological niche a species occupies — the specific set of conditions that species evolved to exploit or the conditions under which that species is likely to be more successful when compared to other species.—
Paul Cappiello,
Louisville Courier Journal,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Harden understands the rules well as anyone to draw fouls (critics might argue manipulate the officials) to get to the line.—
Jason Jones,
New York Times,
13 Jan. 2026
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Other charges accuse Yoon of manipulating the investigation into a marine’s drowning in 2023 and receiving free opinion surveys from an election broker in return for a political favor.—
Hyung-Jin Kim,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Jan. 2026
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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 17 Jan. 2026.
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