as in imposing (on or upon)
to take unfair advantage of
the candidate played on the voters' prejudices
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for playing (on or upon)
Verb
-
Double-big lineup shaky early on A major part of the intrigue surrounding Şengün’s potential development this season is Houston’s affinity for using him in double-big lineups next to Steven Adams or Capela.—
William Guillory,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025 -
This will only work on accounts using an email included in the initial 2021 data breach.—
James Peckham,
PC Magazine,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Rather, Hamas' widespread and well-documented strategy of exploiting schools and educational facilities for terror activities, has required IDF activity in those areas.—
Victoria Beaule,
ABC News,
7 Oct. 2025
-
At the same time, people familiar with the investigation told me that Khan has devoted much of his defense to convincing investigators that Israel and its allies are exploiting the accuser in order to damage him and the court.—
David D. Kirkpatrick,
New Yorker,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
General view of the Google headquarters in King’s Cross as the tech giant faces a 5 billion pound lawsuit in the UK for allegedly abusing its online search dominance.—
April Roach,Tasmin Lockwood,
CNBC,
10 Oct. 2025
-
While the record doesn't detail the events of Max's arrest, TMZ reported that the actor was allegedly abusing nitrous oxide before allegedly attacking his mother while livestreaming.—
Mekishana Pierre,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Managers are using the tech to sift through thousands of applicants, and job candidates are leveraging the tools to crank out their cover letters as the job hunt turned into a numbers game.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
12 Oct. 2025
-
Three publicists launched a Twitter account called Ibismania in 2011, leveraging the club’s reputation to mock other teams.—
Jack Lang,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The main character was more of a Murdoch, kind of Trump figure manipulating people.—
Joe Lynch,
Billboard,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Last month, the NCAA revealed enforcement actions against 16 former D-I men’s basketball players who are accused of betting on or against their own teams, knowingly manipulating scoring or game outcomes, providing information to facilitate others’ bets and related misdeeds.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
9 Oct. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Playing (on or upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/playing%20%28on%20or%20upon%29. Accessed 14 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share