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 assault in the restroom seems to fit into a pattern of men exploiting or hurting Sweetpea.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
11 Feb. 2026 -
In October, authorities filed a superseding indictment against 21-year-old Baron Cain Martin of Arizona, accusing him of membership in 764 and other groups and exploiting children – including a 13-year-old girl who carved swastikas into her body at his direction.—
Curt Devine,
CNN Money,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Hogan and his men secretly functioned as an espionage and sabotage operation, successfully manipulating the inept Germans over the course of 168 episodes.—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
18 Feb. 2026
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Trump fired former Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer in August, implying that the agency was manipulating labor market data under her leadership.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
18 Feb. 2026
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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 21 Feb. 2026.
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