as in uses
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 plays (on or upon)
Verb
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More than 95,000 customers agree on its power, and our commerce director Rachel Fletcher uses it on the regular to clean up pet messes.—
Kate McGregor,
Architectural Digest,
7 Oct. 2025 -
In place of pesky underwire — which is uncomfortable at best, and downright painful at its worst — the bra uses a sturdy elastic band and adjustable straps to provide comfortable support.—
Clara McMahon,
PEOPLE,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But outside of the ring, Christy hides and represses her lesbianism and winds up marrying her trainer Jim Martin (Ben Foster), who manipulates and physically abuses her.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Malware often exploits vulnerabilities in outdated systems, so regularly updating your operating system, antivirus and productivity tools adds another layer of protection against future attacks.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
9 Oct. 2025
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This kind of fraud, resembling that experienced by Anthony, exploits a person’s emotions, inciting fear and anxiety, by impersonating a grandchild or other family member in distress.—
Madhusree Mukerjee,
Scientific American,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Complicating matters is the insidious Host character (voiced by Len Cunningham’s father, Liam Cunningham), who manipulates the players’ reality.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
2 Oct. 2025
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All of this is possible because hackers use a tactic called SEO poisoning, which manipulates Google's search results so their fake websites appear near the top.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Although not called a wheel tax, Seattle leverages a $50 Seattle Transportation Benefit District vehicle license fee to improve its transportation infrastructure.—
Stuart Dyos,
USA Today,
2 Oct. 2025
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Bank of America reported in April more than 90% of its 213,000-strong global workforce leverages AI tools in daily work, driven by both voluntary and required training modules across departments.—
Nino Paoli,
Fortune,
1 Oct. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Plays (on or upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plays%20%28on%20or%20upon%29. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.
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