as in imposing (on or upon)
to take unfair advantage of
the candidate played on the voters' prejudices
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for playing (on or upon)
Verb
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This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a USA Today editor.—
USA Today staff,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2026 -
Ensure your vehicle is visible to others by using low-beam headlights, which also activate your taillights.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The film also showed attacks by conservative TV commentator Sean Hannity, who accused parents of exploiting girls, sparking a right-wing media frenzy and even threats to the organization.—
Kamren Curiel,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2026
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The regime sought to eliminate my father by exploiting divisions that emerged within MOSOP in 1993.—
Noo Saro-Wiwa,
The Dial,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Investigators said, following the report, the child's mother checked surveillance video from inside the home and saw the night nurse, Cindy Dresser, physically abusing the child.—
Stephanie Ballesteros,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
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Judge Joel Bennathan sentenced Matvei Rumiantsev, a 23-year-old Russian national, to two years in prison after being found guilty of assault for abusing his on-and-off girlfriend.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The major downturns of the past, such as the crashes of 1929, 2000 and 2008, have been caused less by external events than by business and investment internals, such as threats to economic structure — over-leveraging in the first, the dot-com crash in the second and the housing crash in the third.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Boston Herald,
3 Apr. 2026
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Finally, Sourcing Journal looks at how Standard Textile is celebrating 85 years by leveraging its vertical integration to turn circularity from a concept into a scalable industrial reality.—
Arthur Zaczkiewicz,
Footwear News,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Full-palm tactile sensing allows the robot to continue manipulating objects even when cameras are obstructed or when precise force control is required, such as in assembly tasks.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Mar. 2026
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Orban started manipulating these grievances, and did so to significantly divide Hungarian society.—
John Shattuck,
The Conversation,
27 Mar. 2026
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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 4 Apr. 2026.
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