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

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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 See all Example Sentences for toy with 

Dictionary Entries Near toy with

Cite this Entry

“Toy with.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/toy%20with. Accessed 18 Feb. 2025.

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