1
as in played
to engage in activity for amusement
the cat toyed with the mouse it had caught, batting it about
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in flirted
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of toyed
Nevertheless, he's repeatedly toyed openly about the idea of running again in 2028.
—
Joey Garrison, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2025
According to Wolpe, Billie toyed around with the placement of their bush on the terracotta planter in the shape of a woman in a sports bra and ponytail.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Joey Garrison, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2025
According to Wolpe, Billie toyed around with the placement of their bush on the terracotta planter in the shape of a woman in a sports bra and ponytail.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for toyed
Verb
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Tewes, who had played cruise director Julie McCoy, since the series debuted in 1977, returned for a handful of episodes in the dramedy's final two seasons in 1986 and 1987.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Oct. 2025
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This came to a head for one of the show's stars, Lauren Tewes, who played cruise director Julie McCoy.—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Dick’s has flirted with same-day delivery before.—
Vicki M. Young,
Footwear News,
23 Oct. 2025
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Volar, a dating app that launched in late 2023, even let people train an AI version of themselves that flirted with someone else’s AI as a pre‑date screening, like two emissaries handling the small talk before the generals sit down.—
Deni Ellis Béchard,
Scientific American,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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There, heaped into a sad pile of rubble, is a part of the world’s most recognizable structures, one that’s been etched into our minds via many film and TV series that recreated the homebase for fictional political dynasties and presidents.—
Kevin Dolak,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Oct. 2025
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The star recreated her iconic Madonna cone bra Halloween costume from the 1993 Disney classic.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
These are heavy topics in a time when people just want to watch the show and be entertained.—
Giana Levy,
Variety,
31 Oct. 2025
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The production draws on a long history of curiosity amusements in which people looked to be entertained by viewing others with unusual or non-normative bodies, especially in nineteenth-century Western circus and dime museums.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Toyed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toyed. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.
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