play around

Idioms  

1. Act playfully or irresponsibly, especially in having a casual or extramarital sexual relationship. For example, She got tired of his playing around and filed for divorce. [1920s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

play around

Ralf Rangnick's all-action Austria side will try to press the way they always do, but Spain will just play around them.

From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026

Don’t restrict yourself to one kind of cheese — play around with your flavors and throw in two, three, even four varieties of fromage.

From Salon ● Jun. 13, 2026

So we play around with different ideas for that, and that would be nice to see because we’ve seen Elsbeth as a mother, but we haven’t seen her as a daughter.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026

That better be the case, because at 80 times forward earnings, Arm can’t afford to play around.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 26, 2026

I play around with a bowl of broth, eating only a spoonful or two.

From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins