as in tampering (with)
to handle thoughtlessly, ignorantly, or mischievously
please don't play with the telephone
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for playing (with)
manipulating
Verb
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By manipulating phase distribution, engineers can craft internal ion highways rather than relying on chance material behavior.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Nov. 2025 -
This summer, after initially targeting Punch, the president of SZA’s label TDE, Minaj dissed SZA herself on X, mocking her physical appearance, questioning her level of success, and accusing her of manipulating charts with her release of Lana, the deluxe version of 2022’s SOS.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
6 Nov. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Playing (with).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playing%20%28with%29. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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