Synonyms of toy

toy 1 of 3

verb

1

as in to play

to engage in activity for amusement

the cat toyed with the mouse it had caught, batting it about

Synonyms & Similar Words

• play
• sport
• recreate
• entertain
• frolic
• joke
• amuse
• relax
• romp
• disport
• delight
• rollick
• tease
• trifle
• skylark
• rest
• gambol
• please
• cavort
• frisk
• dabble
• dally
• hang
• fiddle (around)
• idle
• loaf
• lounge (around or about)
• divert
• bum (around)
• putter (around)
• hang about
• screw around
• dawdle
• slack (off)
• jest
• goldbrick
• mess around

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• slave
• work
• labor
• struggle
• plug (away)
• strive
• strain
• toil
• sweat
• drudge
• plod

2

as in to flirt

to show a sexual attraction for someone just for fun

likes to toy with men whom she has no intention of actually dating

Synonyms & Similar Words

• flirt
• trifle
• coquet
• kid
• tease
• frivol
• woo
• mess around
• vamp
• rib
• play (with)
• court
• mash
• lead on
• fool
• put on
• dally
• manipulate
• razz
• string along
• josh

toy

2 of 3

adjective

as in dwarf

Related Words

• dwarf
• small
• pocket
• miniature
• dinky
• little
• toylike
• pocket-size
• diminutive
• pygmy
• mini
• smallish
• puny
• half-pint
• tiny
• subnormal
• undersized
• Lilliputian
• micro
• dwarfish
• pint-size
• microscopic
• scrubby
• slight
• wee
• shrimpy
• teeny
• stunted
• bantam
• infinitesimal
• bitty
• minuscule
• fine
• pinpoint
• weeny
• runtish
• teensy
• miniaturized
• runty
• skimpy
• spare
• slender
• sparse
• scanty
• scarce
• minikin
• minute
• little bitty
• minim
• meager
• scant
• wanting
• inappreciable
• poor
• teeny-weeny
• inadequate
• stingy
• slim
• capsule
• lacking
• insufficient
• teensy-weensy
• deficient
• skimp
• bite-size

Dissimilar Words

• large
• big
• great
• substantial
• grand
• considerable
• husky
• giant
• handsome
• sizable
• massive
• bulky
• oversize
• huge
• gigantic
• tidy
• goodly
• enormous
• whopping
• mammoth
• outsize
• vast
• jumbo
• galactic
• colossal
• boxcar
• gross
• monstrous
• monumental
• tremendous
• voluminous
• titanic
• heroic
• hefty
• mountainous
• monolithic
• immense
• prodigious
• cavernous
• healthy
• gargantuan
• liberal
• stupendous
• staggering
• ample
• whacking
• king-size
• generous
• overscale
• largish
• Himalayan
• abundant
• appreciable
• wide
• copious
• bountiful
• fat
• plentiful
• broad
• biggish
• humongous
• hulking
• thick
• leviathan
• herculean
• cyclopean
• elephantine
• infinite
• cosmic
• pharaonic
• plenteous
• enough
• adequate
• sufficient
• Brobdingnagian
• Bunyanesque
• boundless
• incalculable
• immeasurable

toy

3 of 3

noun

as in miniature

Related Words

• miniature
• mini
• midget
• scrub
• diminutive
• dwarf
• runt
• mite
• peewee
• pygmy

Dissimilar Words

• giant
• monster
• mammoth
• jumbo
• colossus
• behemoth
• whale
• leviathan
• titan
• whopper

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb toy differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of toy are coquet, dally, flirt, and trifle. While all these words mean "to deal with or act toward without serious purpose," toy implies acting without full attention or serious exertion of one's powers.

a political novice toying with great issues

When can coquet be used instead of toy?

While in some cases nearly identical to toy, coquet implies attracting interest or admiration without serious intention.

companies that coquet with environmentalism solely for public relations

When would dally be a good substitute for toy?

In some situations, the words dally and toy are roughly equivalent. However, dally suggests indulging in thoughts or plans merely as an amusement.

dallying with the idea of building a boat someday

In what contexts can flirt take the place of toy?

The words flirt and toy are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, flirt implies an interest or attention that soon passes to another object.

flirted with one fashionable ism after another

When could trifle be used to replace toy?

The meanings of trifle and toy largely overlap; however, trifle may imply playfulness, unconcern, indulgent contempt.

to trifle with a lover's feelings

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of toy

Verb

Whether paired with sneakers or bold heelsheels, the flare cut of these pants is playful enough to toy around with different shoe pairings. — Jasmine Gomez, Travel + Leisure, 6 May 2026

Trump has been a fierce Powell critic and toyed last year with the idea of firing him. — Jeff Cox, CNBC, 13 Jan. 2026

Adjective

That's why the Chron Shopping team has picked out some of our favorite non-toy gifts for kids to keep children engaged, active, and happy. — Micolette Davis, Chron, 19 Nov. 2020

Scene transitions show toy cities, just like those used on the legendary children’s show, only Lloyd’s story is unfolding in Manhattan, rather than Pittsburgh. — Rachel E. Greenspan, Time, 22 Nov. 2019

Noun

Freiden, who’s also the CEO of children’s toy brand Constructive Playthings, said changing interests in children’s birthday parties and a spike in rent contributed to the closure. — Jenna Thompson, Kansas City Star, 4 Sep. 2026

Robert Ebendorf’s 2010 Untitled Daguerreotype Brooch combines a daguerreotype with copper, plastic, and a crab claw, while his Birthday Necklace incorporates repurposed jewelry and toy railroad tracks. — Livia Caligor, Vogue, 4 Sep. 2026

Phrases Containing toy

• toy (with)