Thesaurus results for PLAYS (UPON)

plays (upon)

verb

present tense third-person singular of play (upon)

as in exploits

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

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for plays (upon)

Verb

BlueMoon exploits two Chromium vulnerabilities and one in the kernel of Windows 10 (Oct 2018 Update), Windows Server 2019, Windows 10 2004, Windows Server 2022, and the initial release of Windows 11.

— Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 9 Sep. 2026
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

Definition of exploits

Verb

The series follows Mónica, a newly qualified lawyer who learns to defraud clients, manipulates her family to secure an inheritance, then betrays her mentor.

— Anna Marie de la Fuente, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026
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

Definition of manipulates

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.

Browse Nearby Words

plays up

plays (upon)

plays (with)

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Plays (upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plays%20%28upon%29. Accessed 23 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of plays (upon)

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

compendious

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes