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
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plays (upon)
Verb
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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
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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
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But there is a point where the prediction shapes and manipulates the actual outcome.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
25 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Plays (upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plays%20%28upon%29. Accessed 19 May. 2026.
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