play with
Third Person
plays with
Present Participle
playing with
Past Tense
played with
Past Participle
played with
1
to consider an idea or possibility without fully committing to it
- He's playing with the idea of adopting a pet.
- They've played with the possibility of relocating the company headquarters.
- She's played with the thought of starting her own business.
- I've played with the idea of moving abroad, but I'm not sure yet.
- Are you seriously going to do it or just playing with the thought?
2
to casually or aimlessly touch something
- She always plays with her hair when she's nervous.
- Don't play with the remote; you'll mess up the settings.
- He absentmindedly played with the coins in his pocket during the meeting.
- Whenever he's thinking deeply, he tends to play with his pen.
- She told her child not to play with the food on the plate.
3
to deceive someone for amusement or personal gain
- She's known to play with people by pretending to be someone else online.
- The team felt like the coach was playing with their careers by not giving them ample playing time.
- It's unethical for brands to play with consumers by advertising false benefits.
- He's known to play with his opponents, feeding them incorrect information to gain an advantage.
- The spy was playing with the intelligence agency, leaving misleading evidence to divert their attention.