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 accompanying shift in focus—away from Josh and Iris’s relationship and toward the former’s true motivation for acquiring the robot—also gives space for another one of the weekenders (played by Lukas Gage) to have some fun toying with a secret of his own. —David Sims, The Atlantic, 3 Feb. 2025

For instance, a puppy might approach a favorite toy with a slow, sneaky walk, tail straight out, before pouncing on it. —David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Feb. 2025

Category specialists upped the ante on fabric research and treatments reinventing field jackets, parkas and workwear styles by toying with urban performance. —Luisa Zargani, WWD, 21 Jan. 2025

The killer took elaborate steps to hide his tracks, almost toying with police. —Michael Gordon, Charlotte Observer, 17 Jan. 2025