Phrasal verb
play with sb/sth
Definition
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.
Examples
“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.”
Examples
simple
“The children play with their new toys.”
contextual
“After school, my son likes to play with his friends in the park until it gets dark.”
complex
“He would often play with the idea of leaving his corporate job, idly rearranging the fantasy in his mind without ever committing to it.”
Usage
Often followed by a person (especially a child or friend), a pet, or an object like a toy or a ball.
Teaching tip
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.
Pitfall
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.
Phrasal verb
Particles
with
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
play + with + object