1
as in playing
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 flirting
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for toying
Verb
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Vought, who helped write the policy blueprint known as Project 2025, is playing a major role during the shutdown, including on decisions over whether there are mass layoffs of federal employees instead of furloughs and what funding is cut and what is allowed to flow.—
Sarah D. Wire,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025 -
George Clooney is playing a movie star, and that was sort of built into the idea.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Brækhus has been flirting with retirement ever since her first loss to McCaskill, but now, finally, feels ready to step away.—
George Ramsay,
CNN Money,
3 Oct. 2025
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Powell doesn’t just mean that stock prices are flirting with record highs.—
Ryan Ermey,
CNBC,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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That process of recreating the set took only about an hour, which gave Cameron the freedom for easy reshoots and pickup lines.—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
1 Oct. 2025
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Forte_Forte staged a fancy presentation recreating a Parisian boudoir, replete with towers of Champagne cups and highly photogenic sweet treats.—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
29 Sep. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Toying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toying. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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