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
  • If the Dodgers hadn’t brilliantly exploited an MLB economic system that privileges big-market teams, the Padres wouldn’t be so beholden to the wild-card option year after year.
    — Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Federal prosecutors said the men exploited three girls who had run away from foster care, taking advantage of their ages, unstable living situations and lack of family support.
    — Eric Weiss, Sun Sentinel, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of exploited
Verb
  • The lawsuit also alleges that Penske and Boehly manipulated and misused California’s nonprofit laws.
    — Andrew Dalton, Fortune, 29 July 2026
  • The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has reported that AI training data and inputs are being manipulated and warned that attackers could influence model behavior by corrupting the information AI systems rely upon.
    — Syed Ali, Forbes.com, 29 July 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 6 Aug. 2026.

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