toy with

phrasal 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

But toying with audiences like this can backfire. —Chas Newkey-Burden, TheWeek, 17 Feb. 2026

Down and Kay had toyed with Whitney being Lithuanian, or at least having some connection to the country, small remnants of which eagle-eyed viewers will pick up. —Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 16 Feb. 2026

Trump is not expected to be on the 2028 ballot due to term limits despite publicly toying with the idea, so Democrats also have to find a message that will work against a different Republican nominee. —Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 14 Feb. 2026

Even a little girl was not allowed to take her toy with her. —Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026