toy with

phrasal verb

toyed with; toying with; toys with

: to think about (something) briefly and not very seriously

I toyed with the idea of moving to France but ended up staying here.

: to move or touch (something) with one's fingers often without thinking

She toyed with her hair while she talked on the phone.

: 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

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Clever, subversive, and imbued with a wicked sense of humor, this film gives its survivor girl strength from the outset while toying with the very definition of a slasher. —

Meagan Navarro, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2024 Watkins leads as Huw Miller, a detective haunted by a stalker who taunted his town, mercilessly toying with his victims before eventually killing them. —

Max Goldbart, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2024 John and Shears were both longtime Tammy fans, and had been toying with the idea of a musical for years. —

Anna Russell, The New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2024 Even major New York City office owners like SL Green and RXR are toying with the idea of repurposing part of their portfolio. —

Shimon Shkury, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for toy with