as in to use
to take unfair advantage of
the candidate played on the voters' prejudices
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for play (on or upon)
Verb
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Through a careful expedition using cutting-edge technology, gold has been drawn from the site for the first time in years and will be available via public auction through the sale of the coins.—
Janine Henni,
People.com,
20 Mar. 2025 -
When in doubt, navigate directly to the website using an address rather than clicking through from another site.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
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If that weren’t enough, bad-faith actors exploit these dynamics, distorting reality for part of the population and deepening political divides.—
Harmeet Kaur,
CNN,
23 Mar. 2025
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Infectious diseases, by nature, exploit individualism; their version of liberty is to find the unprotected, and spread more freely.—
Katherine J. Wu,
The Atlantic,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
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After killing the nun (Jennifer Ehle) who was her primary abuser within an entire system designed to abuse, Teonna went on the run.—
Christian Blauvelt,
IndieWire,
16 Mar. 2025
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Google has updated its affiliate link policy following allegations that coupon-clipping website Honey was abusing the program.—
Emily Forlini,
PCMAG,
13 Mar. 2025
Verb
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These groups, Miller explained, exploit security gaps, leveraging vulnerabilities to move laterally, escalate privileges, exfiltrate sensitive data and ultimately deploy their payloads.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes,
16 Mar. 2025
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Also important is broadening how our content is made available and distributed to the broadest range possible, leveraging digital technology.—
Edward Felsenthal,
TIME,
16 Mar. 2025
Verb
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In Lynch’s festering neo-noir mystery from 1987, Hopper plays a chronic villain perpetually sipping from a tank of amyl nitrate and handing out hits as a way to manipulate his henchmen.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
14 Mar. 2025
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They are suspected of illegally manipulating ski suits to enhance athlete performance, according to statements from the FIS.—
Manuela López Restrepo,
NPR,
14 Mar. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Play (on or upon).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/play%20%28on%20or%20upon%29. Accessed 29 Mar. 2025.
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