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

Buckley lost to John Lindsay, who toyed with less radical ideas, including car-free hours in Central Park and on-street bike lanes. —Evan Friss, Time, 3 Nov. 2025

After years of toying with the idea of a secondary listing in Saudi Arabia, which has significantly higher trading volumes than the Bahrain exchange, Alba is now getting close to going ahead with it. —Matthew Martin, semafor.com, 3 Nov. 2025

Kon subverts slasher tropes and nimbly toys with reality, constantly upending audience expectations and keeping us on our toes. —Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025

Although Fforme hasn’t previously toyed with color, Howie appeared to gradually incorporate some splashes of blues and greens among Fforme’s stock black and white designs. —Julia Teti, Footwear News, 28 Oct. 2025