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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Anglerfish ancestors lived on the seafloor and maneuvered around using specialized stout fins, much like their close relatives the batfishes and frogfishes.—
Danielle Hall,
Smithsonian Magazine,
24 Dec. 2024 -
Related to both is a program of using challenges to solve real-world complex problems.—
Roger Trapp,
Forbes,
24 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The New York Times Magazine published a critique yesterday of two documentaries that have recently been released about the use of child influencers, raising the potential that the projects may potentially be re-exploiting them.—
Katie Kilkenny,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Apr. 2025
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Where United can hurt Lyon is by exploiting their defensive instability.—
The Athletic UK Staff,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Just as manipulating actuality is the soul of cinema, playing with subjectivity is the soul of AI as an artistic medium.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
8 Apr. 2025
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Biohacking sales isn’t about manipulating people.—
Scott Hutcheson,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
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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 12 Jul. 2025.
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