play on


verb(intr)
  1. (adverb) to continue to play

  2. Also: play upon (preposition) to exploit or impose upon (the feelings or weakness of another) to one's own advantage

  1. (adverb) cricket to hit the ball into one's own wicket

Words Nearby play on

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

How to use play on in a sentence

  • play on, my friend, play on!the sounds you make are very agreeable, and seem to imply that you are happy.

    The Sorrows of Satan | Marie Corelli

Other Idioms and Phrases with play on

play on

Also, play upon. Take advantage of or make use of for a desired effect, as in These health care ads are meant to play on our fears. This idiom uses play in the sense of “performing on an instrument.” Shakespeare used it in Hamlet (3:2): “You would play upon me; you would seem to know my stops.” [Late 1500s]

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.