as in exploiting
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 playing (upon)
Verb
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The comedian's remarks made fun of the president's reaction to Kirk's killing and accused MAGA of exploiting the situation for political gain.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
23 Sep. 2025 -
Kudos to Eagles coaches and quarterback Jalen Hurts for exploiting that mismatch, if belatedly.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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With Danny held hostage, Maria’s life begins to flourish and that star pupil, Pauline, inches ever-closer to her favorite docent as sympathies slip away and oscillate between characters, the film making quick work of manipulating mounting emotions.—
Holly Jones,
Variety,
26 Sep. 2025
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The video appears to show Lauren manipulating and firing the gun, but it’s recorded from a distance and has no sound.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
25 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Playing (upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playing%20%28upon%29. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.
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