play around
phrase
1
: to have sex with someone who is not one's husband, wife, or regular partner
He's not the kind of guy who plays around.
—often + onShe's been playing around on her husband.
—often + withShe's been playing around with one of her coworkers.
2
: to deal with or treat something in a careless way
When it comes to protecting his family, he doesn't play around.
—often + withYou can't play around with diabetes; it's a very serious disease.
3
: to use or do something in a way that is not very serious
It's time to stop playing around and get busy.
—often + onI spent the evening playing around on the piano/computer/Internet.
—often + withI'm not really a painter; I just like to play around with paints.
4
: to move or change something or to think about something in different ways often in order to find out what would work best
—+ with
I see you've been playing around with the living room furniture again.
The supervisor played around with our work schedules this week.
We played around with the idea for a while but eventually realized that it just wouldn't work.
Examples of play around in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
While there is no shortage of visual gags that play around with a mockumentary style, the movie ultimately reveals itself as an adventure about taking risks and the universal drive to ask questions and explore.
—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 July 2026
Up until the 1980s, participants could play around with stripes and color blocking.
—
Afia Asamoah,
InStyle,
30 June 2026
These aren’t the first multimodal AI models people have been able to play around with.
—
Edd Gent,
IEEE Spectrum,
18 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for play around
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Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 July 2026
Up until the 1980s, participants could play around with stripes and color blocking.
—
Afia Asamoah,
InStyle,
30 June 2026
These aren’t the first multimodal AI models people have been able to play around with.
—
Edd Gent,
IEEE Spectrum,
18 Mar. 2023
See All Example Sentences for play around
Cite this Entry
“Play around.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20around. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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