play with
Britishverb
-
to consider without giving deep thought to or coming to a conclusion concerning
we're playing with the idea of emigrating
-
to behave carelessly with
to play with a girl's affections
-
to fiddle or mess about with
he's just playing with his food
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But there may be a force at play with an even firmer hold on the American man: gas prices.
From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2026
Killer whales are highly intelligent apex predators and have been known to play with their prey and deploy sophisticated tactics to ensnare them.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
“Even just an extra hour in the evening means more time to play with your kids.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
In family playrooms, the researchers watched young kids play with Lego sets, and came away with three conclusions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
Then, grossed out by my efforts to educate a young mind, I sent him outside to play with the kids next door.
From "Liar, Liar" by Gary Paulsen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
