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
Another loose thread the writers had toyed with for years before weaving it into the final season was a romantic storyline for paterfamilias Eli (John Goodman) in a definitive act of moving on.
—
Alison Herman, Variety, 5 May 2025
Meanwhile, Trump is now publicly toying with the idea of deporting U.S. citizens to that same prison.
—Kica Matos, Time, 2 May 2025
Not even five minutes of the second half had been played and Arsenal were toying with their opponents.
—Art De Roché, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2025
And Trump had openly toyed with running for president as far back as the 1980s.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for toy with
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Alison Herman, Variety, 5 May 2025
Meanwhile, Trump is now publicly toying with the idea of deporting U.S. citizens to that same prison.
—Kica Matos, Time, 2 May 2025
Not even five minutes of the second half had been played and Arsenal were toying with their opponents.
—Art De Roché, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2025
And Trump had openly toyed with running for president as far back as the 1980s.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Apr. 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 13 May. 2025.
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