toy with
verb
toyed with; toying with; toys with
1
: to think about (something) briefly and not very seriously
I toyed with the idea of moving to France but ended up staying here.
2
: to move or touch (something) with one's fingers often without thinking
She toyed with her hair while she talked on the phone.
3
: to deal with or control (someone or something) in a clever and usually unfair or selfish way
Do you really love me, or are you just toying with me?
Don't toy with my emotions.
Examples of toy with in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Padilla saw a study from the United States Public Interest Research Group, where researchers tested three AI toys with a series of inappropriate questions to gauge the guardrails.
—
Noelle Harff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 May 2026
Trump, who has openly toyed with running for an unconstitutional third term in 2028, is term-limited from running again.
—Joey Garrison, USA Today, 28 May 2026
He’s toyed with a third pitch — a slider, then a cutter, then a refined slider in 2026 with more bite.
—Matt Gelb, New York Times, 23 May 2026
The affected products are manufactured by Orb Toys and include two models of Orb Funkee Squeeze toys with the date code 3102491A, the Commission said.
—Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 23 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for toy with
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Noelle Harff, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 May 2026
Trump, who has openly toyed with running for an unconstitutional third term in 2028, is term-limited from running again.
—Joey Garrison, USA Today, 28 May 2026
He’s toyed with a third pitch — a slider, then a cutter, then a refined slider in 2026 with more bite.
—Matt Gelb, New York Times, 23 May 2026
The affected products are manufactured by Orb Toys and include two models of Orb Funkee Squeeze toys with the date code 3102491A, the Commission said.
—Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 23 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for toy with
Cite this Entry
“Toy with.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/toy%20with. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.
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