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
The current administration is toying with the idea of shipping American citizens to foreign prisons.
—
Rafael Perez, Oc Register, 4 July 2025
In the case at hand, they who shamelessly toy with the Titan of Time may well be destroyed.
—Lewis Hyde, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025
Chelsea briefly toyed with surrendering their lead before Fernandez’s goal on 79 minutes as LAFC abandoned all caution, and might have done so if Robert Sanchez had not exhibited a confident disregard for his club’s pursuit of Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan earlier this month.
—Liam Twomey, New York Times, 17 June 2025
Amazon has in recent years toyed with adding more limited-run and invite-only deals during Prime Day events to create a feeling of urgency or scarcity.
—Annie Palmer, CNBC, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for toy with
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Rafael Perez, Oc Register, 4 July 2025
In the case at hand, they who shamelessly toy with the Titan of Time may well be destroyed.
—Lewis Hyde, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025
Chelsea briefly toyed with surrendering their lead before Fernandez’s goal on 79 minutes as LAFC abandoned all caution, and might have done so if Robert Sanchez had not exhibited a confident disregard for his club’s pursuit of Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan earlier this month.
—Liam Twomey, New York Times, 17 June 2025
Amazon has in recent years toyed with adding more limited-run and invite-only deals during Prime Day events to create a feeling of urgency or scarcity.
—Annie Palmer, CNBC, 17 June 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 24 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share