played (upon)

verb

past tense of play (upon)
as in exploited
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 played (upon)
  1. exploited
  2. manipulated
Verb
  • Milan prosecutors say that the workers were constantly exploited.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The last thing that Canada needs is a faction that can be exploited by foes — both foreign and domestic — in an attempt to break up Canada to better control its considerable wealth.
    — Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of exploited
Verb
  • The senses of anyone entering these tombs were heavily manipulated.
    — Jacqueline Ortoleva, Scientific American, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Researcher Peter Garrigan told Fox News Moonshot AI's Kimi model could also be manipulated to provide information on planning terrorist attacks using real-time data, creating sarin gas, developing malware and taking down aircraft.
    — Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of manipulated
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.

Browse Nearby Words

played up
played (upon)
played (with)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Played (upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/played%20%28upon%29. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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