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
Or would Boy dare toy with his own genius by putting it inside himself?
—
Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 19 Sep. 2025
Collectible toys, video games, and toys with characters from movies, games and shows feature significantly.
—Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
Kershaw had toyed with the idea of retirement at the start of the season, doubling down on public desire to retire a Dodger.
—Tom Tapp, Deadline, 18 Sep. 2025
Years later, Redford toyed with making a sequel, to be written by Larry Gelbart.
—Stephen Galloway, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for toy with
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Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 19 Sep. 2025
Collectible toys, video games, and toys with characters from movies, games and shows feature significantly.
—Marni Rose McFall, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Sep. 2025
Kershaw had toyed with the idea of retirement at the start of the season, doubling down on public desire to retire a Dodger.
—Tom Tapp, Deadline, 18 Sep. 2025
Years later, Redford toyed with making a sequel, to be written by Larry Gelbart.
—Stephen Galloway, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2025
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 28 Sep. 2025.
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