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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The team used human stem cells to create three-dimensional, embryo-like structures that replicate early human development, including the formation of blood stem cells.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Oct. 2025 -
This watch guide was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.—
Data Skrive,
New York Times,
14 Oct. 2025
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
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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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General view of the Google headquarters in King’s Cross as the tech giant faces a 5 billion pound lawsuit in the UK for allegedly abusing its online search dominance.—
April Roach,Tasmin Lockwood,
CNBC,
10 Oct. 2025
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After the split, LaPaglia claimed she was emotionally abused by her ex during an episode of the BFFs Podcast.—
Stephanie Wenger,
PEOPLE,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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For leagues, the ability to leverage Reddit’s reputation to appear more frequently in search results or chatbot readouts should be seen as a nice bonus, Rosen said, rather than the main driver behind their on-platform strategy.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
15 Oct. 2025
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The hope for gold-producing nations like Ghana is to responsibly leverage this bountiful natural resource without falling prey to environmental degradation and civil strife.—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
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 (on or upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/play%20%28on%20or%20upon%29. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.
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