From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishplay with somebody/something phrasal verb1 HOLDto keep touching something or moving it Stop playing with the light switch!2 to try doing something in different ways to decide what works best Play with the design onscreen, moving text and pictures until you get a pleasing arrangement.3 THINK ABOUTto consider an idea or possibility, but not always very seriously SYN toy with After university, I played with the idea of teaching English in China.4 MORE/EXTRA money/time/space etc to play with money, time etc that is available to be used The budget is very tight, so there isn’t much money to play with.5 play with yourselfSYSEX/HAVE SEX WITH to touch your own sex organs for pleasure SYN masturbate6 play with words/languageSAY to use words in a clever or amusing way → play→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
money/time/space etc to play with• He had time for his garden, time to talk to his Stratford friends, time to play with his granddaughter Elizabeth.• Lennie knows he hasn't any time to play with if Boro are to stay in the big time.• Then it's time to play with the topper dinghies!play with yourself• Play and Friendship Dolphins of all ages are frequently seen playing with each other.• Back with the dancers, Humphreys peeled off all his clothes, started playing with himself and finally urinated on the dance-floor.play with words/language• Children learn vocabulary from talking, reading, writing, and from playing with words.• Rhymesters, poets, writers, and jokers of all kinds - and their audiences - have always loved playing with words.• But why shouldn't feminists play with language for political ends?• She was given to playing with words in that way.• Recognising this, some feminists have used the alternative strategy of deliberately playing with words rather than attempting straightforwardly to redefine them.• Young children play with language, trying out sounds before they start experimenting with words. 