play with sb/sth
phrasal verb.phrasal verb. To use something for fun, or to spend time with someone having fun.
phrasal verb. To engage in an activity with a person for amusement, or to use an object as part of a recreational activity; a transitive prepositional verb.
The children play with their new toys.
After school, my son likes to play with his friends in the park until it gets dark.
He would often play with the idea of leaving his corporate job, idly rearranging the fantasy in his mind without ever committing to it.
- have fun with
- amuse oneself with
- use for fun
- ignore
- work on
- leave alone
- Particles
- with
- Separability
- inseparable
- Pattern
- play + with + object
Often followed by a person (especially a child or friend), a pet, or an object like a toy or a ball.
Contrast the literal, positive sense ('play with a friend') with the negative figurative sense ('play with someone's emotions'), which means to treat them insincerely.
The cat is playing the ball of yarn.The cat is playing with the ball of yarn.The verb 'play' needs the preposition 'with' when you mention the toy or object being used.
Last updated April 24, 2026