play with yourself

Meanings

1. 1phraseidiomeuphemisticvulgar

   An indirect, informal way of saying to masturbate.

   Grammar: The pronoun matches the subject: he plays with himself.

   Patterns

   • play with yourself

   Some speakers use play with yourself as a vague, slightly rude way to refer to masturbation.

   In a classroom, a teacher would use the proper word rather than the phrase play with yourself.

   The film's rating was raised partly for a scene in which a character is shown to play with himself.

2. 2phraseidiomold-fashioned

   To entertain yourself alone, as a child might when no one else is available.

   Grammar: Literal and rare; context shows it is about amusing yourself.

   Patterns

   • play with yourself

   The little girl was told to go and play with herself for a while since the others were busy.

   He had no siblings, so he often played with himself in the yard.

Word forms

Common combinations

caught playing with himself

The phrase caught playing with himself is a crude euphemism.

go play with yourself

Go play with yourself is a rude way to tell someone to go away.

left to play with himself

The boy was left to play with himself while the adults talked.

Synonyms and how they differ

masturbate

Masturbate is the neutral, clinical term, while play with yourself is a vaguer, cruder euphemism.

amuse yourself

Amuse yourself is the harmless, polite way to talk about entertaining yourself and has no sexual meaning.

Word family

play verb

to take part in a game or amuse oneself

yourself pronoun

reflexive form of you

masturbation noun

the formal noun for the act

Commonly confused: play with yourself or play by yourself?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “play with yourself”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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