PLAYED (ON OR UPON) Synonyms: 25 Similar Words

played (on or upon)

verb

past tense of play (on or upon)

as in used

to take unfair advantage of the candidate played on the voters' prejudices

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for played (on or upon)

Verb

The Hyundai Motor Company used one of the world’s largest sporting stages to showcase its robotics ambitions.

— Clemente Lisi, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026
For instance, in Berkeley, neighbors used CEQA — citing potential noise impact from partying students — to delay, for years, UC Berkeley’s construction of student dorms on People’s Park.

— Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026

Definition of used

Verb

The argument was that tech like cameras and GPS tracking in cars could be exploited by foreign powers.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 4 July 2026
Starting with the campaign for universal white male suffrage soon after the American Revolution, marginalized and exploited people fought for equal rights.

— Brian DeLay, Mercury News, 4 July 2026

Definition of exploited

Verb

Some dogs fear brooms, vacuum cleaners or other household products, particularly if they’ve been hurt or abused in the past.

— BestReviews, Mercury News, 2 July 2026
Lamar called out Drake for allegedly having a secret child, and Drake claimed that Kendrick abused his fiancée.

— René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 July 2026

Definition of abused

Verb

It should be leveraged, not relied upon strictly to deliver all results.

— Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
India’s government, which has long leveraged a hard line on Pakistan for domestic political advantage, enjoyed a rally-around-the-flag effect that gave it a useful boost one year after a worse-than-expected performance in national elections.

— Michael Kugelman, Time, 26 June 2026

Definition of leveraged

Verb

In all the stories across both timelines, Dinner said there’s a common thread about memories and how they can be manipulated, and that exploring it was part of the appeal of the new season — not just for the audience, but for the director.

— Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 3 July 2026
The other company whose shares were manipulated in the scheme, E-Waste, had an even higher market cap at some point, despite being nothing more than a shell company.

— Dan Mangan, CNBC, 3 July 2026

Definition of manipulated

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Browse Nearby Words

played hooky

played (on or upon)

played out

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“Played (on or upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/played%20%28on%20or%20upon%29. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of played (on or upon)

verb

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