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
Relevance
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for play (upon)
Verb
-
The 30-second spot cites a 2023 New York Times investigation into migrant children trafficked and exploited to work grueling jobs at factories, construction sites, farms and other dangerous work places.—
Nicole Nixon,
Sacbee.com,
5 Nov. 2025 -
The organization, which represents the major film and TV studios, as well as major streaming platforms, argues in the letter that Instagram is trying to exploit the public’s trust in its ratings system for its own gain.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
As people increasingly turn to such bots for emotional support and life advice, recent incidents have spotlighted their potential to manipulate vulnerable people by facilitating a false sense of closeness or care.—
Angela Yang,
NBC news,
31 Oct. 2025
-
The face-down between a pitcher and a batter, especially in a World Series, has enough tension without needing to be manipulated by outside music.—
Alison Weinflash,
Rolling Stone,
31 Oct. 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Play (upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/play%20%28upon%29. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share