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
No idea was discarded in the test kitchen, which even toyed with placing the burger upside down.
—
Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN Money, 26 Feb. 2026
The fall collection adds another brick, as Falcioni seeks to reignite the pleasure of toying with tailoring and dressing up.
—Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 25 Feb. 2026
Decent citizens must ostracize those among them who toy with Hitlerism.
—Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 23 Feb. 2026
The Football Association is toying with the idea of eliminating the draw used to determine late-stage matchups and kicking out the seventh tier completely.
—Emily Olsen, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for toy with
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Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN Money, 26 Feb. 2026
The fall collection adds another brick, as Falcioni seeks to reignite the pleasure of toying with tailoring and dressing up.
—Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 25 Feb. 2026
Decent citizens must ostracize those among them who toy with Hitlerism.
—Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 23 Feb. 2026
The Football Association is toying with the idea of eliminating the draw used to determine late-stage matchups and kicking out the seventh tier completely.
—Emily Olsen, New York Times, 23 Feb. 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 27 Feb. 2026.
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