●ˈplay on sth ( ˈplay upon sthmore formal) to deliberately use sb’s fears, etc. for your own advantage利用(他人的恐惧等)◆He played on my feelings of guilt to make me stay. 他利用我的内疚感让我留下。◆The government played on people’s fears of rising crime to get support for their policies. 政府利用人们对犯罪率上升的恐惧来获取他们对政策的支持。OBJfears SYNexploit sth (formal) [v + prep]