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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But while this was a flaw Dunham was exploiting, some fans saw it as a virtue.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 Apr. 2026 -
This approach could be the difference between exploiting a narrow, timely opportunity to buy or refinance or getting stuck on the sidelines a bit longer.—
Matt Richardson,
CBS News,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Clayton Seigle, a senior fellow in the Energy Security and Climate Change Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told ABC News that spoofing or manipulating the tracking system can obscure a vessel's origins, destination and cargo.—
Bill Hutchinson,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
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Of course, Butcher does a lot of blatant manipulating here, using Ryan’s insecurity about his deadly powers to convince him the world is better without supes altogether.—
Ben Rosenstock,
Vulture,
15 Apr. 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 18 Apr. 2026.
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