play around with — to experiment with something or make small changes to see what happens
Part of speech: NOUN
Definition: to experiment with something or make small changes to see what happens
Pronunciation (IPA): /pleɪ əˈraʊnd wɪð/
Example Sentences
- My cat loves to play around with the robot vacuum - she treats it like her personal taxi service.
- The programmer spent hours playing around with the algorithm to optimize performance.
- I was just playing around with my phone's camera settings when I accidentally took a masterpiece photo of my sandwich.
play around with
NOUN[/pleɪ əˈraʊnd wɪð/]
to experiment with something or make small changes to see what happens
Engineers play around with paper airplane designs before the big prototype meeting.
Got the picture? Now let's practice.
🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
This phrase combines Old English 'plegan' (to play, engage in activity) with 'around' from 'on + round', originally denoting physical movement in a circular pattern. The modern idiomatic sense of 'to experiment casually or superficially' developed in the 20th century.
Breakdown
play (Old English plegan, to engage in activity) + around (on + round, in circular motion) + with (alongside, in company with), forming a phrasal verb meaning to tinker or experiment casually.
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My cat loves to play around with the robot vacuum - she treats it like her personal taxi service.”
“The programmer spent hours playing around with the algorithm to optimize performance.”
“I was just playing around with my phone's camera settings when I accidentally took a masterpiece photo of my sandwich.”
“Scientists often play around with different variables before conducting formal experiments.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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