toy with

phrasal verb

toyed with; toying with; toys with

: to think about (something) briefly and not very seriously

I toyed with the idea of moving to France but ended up staying here.

: to move or touch (something) with one's fingers often without thinking

She toyed with her hair while she talked on the phone.

: 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 John and Shears were both longtime Tammy fans, and had been toying with the idea of a musical for years. —

Anna Russell, The New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2024 Even major New York City office owners like SL Green and RXR are toying with the idea of repurposing part of their portfolio. —

Shimon Shkury, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024 Range bound the past six months, silver is now toying with the prospect of an important breakout: up and out of the range in which it’s been mired. —

Carter Braxton Worth, CNBC, 18 Oct. 2024 Durable, age-appropriate, and easy-to-use toys with different colors, textures, and sounds can engage toddlers in play and support common toddler milestones like walking, talking, and more. —

Ashley Ziegler, Parents, 12 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for toy with

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'toy with.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.