PLAYS (ON OR UPON) Synonyms: 24 Similar Words

plays (on or upon)

verb

present tense third-person singular of play (on or upon)

as in uses

to take unfair advantage of the candidate played on the voters' prejudices

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for plays (on or upon)

Verb

Thankfully, the bathroom lines at Venice intermissions are not too long, as 70 percent of the audience uses the opportunity to duck out and have a smoke.

— Nate Jones, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2026
It’s powered by a lithium-ion battery and uses two drive motors and a pair of bulldozer-style treads to navigate the floor, walls, and waterline of your pool.

— John R. Delaney, PC Magazine, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of uses

Verb

Detectives will continue investigating these cases aggressively, and anyone who abuses their position with a child will be held accountable.

— Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 15 Aug. 2026
New York City’s child welfare agency routinely abuses its emergency power to take children from their parents without a court order, creating lifelong consequences for families, a new class-action lawsuit seeking to end the practice alleged Thursday.

— Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 28 May 2026

Definition of abuses

Verb

At each turn, a heartbreaking picture comes into sharper focus, underscoring Ricki’s destructive appetite that exploits Rita’s deepest needs and fears under the guise of friendship and no-judgement sisterhood.

— Tomris Laffly, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
One method exploits the weaknesses of a game’s random number generator (RNG) to obtain specific Pokémon; it’s appropriately known as RNG manipulation.

— Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of exploits

Verb

In an interview with the Shade Room last year, Knight’s son, Shanga Hankerson, claimed McDowell pushed the singer into performing and manipulates her.

— Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026
An anxiety ring is a piece of jewelry with a spinning band, bead or textured surface that the wearer manipulates with their fingers as a discreet grounding tool.

— Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of manipulates

Verb

Related Stories The partnership leverages the synergies between the scale of HiMaxx’s retail channels and its expertise in brand management to drive brand value and market growth.

— Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 2 Sep. 2026
Clascoterone 5% topical solution leverages the same active ingredient used in Winlevi, Cosmo’s acne treatment product.

— Avalon Pernell, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of leverages

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.

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plays hooky

plays (on or upon)

plays out

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“Plays (on or upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plays%20%28on%20or%20upon%29. Accessed 12 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of plays (on or upon)

verb

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