as in uses
to take unfair advantage of
the candidate played on the voters' prejudices
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plays (on or upon)
Verb
-
Tarik Skubal, the two-time American League Cy Young Award winner, can throw about as hard as Misiorowski, but Skubal uses his four-seam fastball less than forty per cent of the time.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
17 May 2026 -
Comfortable on either flank, and equally happy shooting with his left or right foot, Guardiola initially deployed Semenyo in a No 10 role, but now uses him mostly from the right flank.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
Verb
-
People deserve a government that watches out for our people’s best interests, not one that abuses its powers and sells us to the highest bidder.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
-
According to Lewkowitz, if a grower abuses the soil, the system ceases to be viable, leaving zero likelihood of success from a sustainability standpoint.—
Arthur Zaczkiewicz,
Footwear News,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
To overcome this, researchers at ETH Zurich used a subtler effect called the geometric phase, which exploits the path taken by atoms through an artificial ‘crystal of light’ built from intersecting laser beams.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
12 May 2026
-
Bruce, an airline worker, has hitherto handed off his plus-one flight privileges to Simon, who keenly exploits them to keep filming his globe-trotting doc.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
3 May 2026
Verb
-
Flashbacks are deployed as more than mere framing devices, since the past plays an active, exciting role in the town’s present, and there’s an extended drug trip that skillfully manipulates lapsed time through recurring blackouts to keep you on the edge of your seat.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
29 Apr. 2026
-
But there is a point where the prediction shapes and manipulates the actual outcome.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Money from the redevelopment area relies on tax increment financing, which leverages future tax value increases to pay for current projects.—
Nina Moske,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 May 2026
-
The Israeli government is equally aware of this fact and leverages the event on the international stage.—
Andrew Flanagan,
Variety,
13 May 2026
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
“Plays (on or upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plays%20%28on%20or%20upon%29. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
