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

Since Mills’ modeling can blindly reproduce the climates of the ancient past, he’s recently toyed with putting it into reverse to see what awaits our ever-changing planet in the far, far future. —Peter Brannen, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025

Now the United States seems to be toying with the idea of going to war with that nation. —Gisela Salim-Peyer, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2025

Lauren Sánchez-Bezos is toying with the idea of fall fashion. —Vogue, 11 Sep. 2025

The entire performance is a shining spotlight on the record, which toys with the malleability of their sound and embraces unconventional approaches to an already robust sound. —Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 10 Sep. 2025