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 The message toyed with reality, suggesting there was no difference in sound quality between a live performance and music recorded on tape. —

Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times, 30 Apr. 2024 Simpler toys like teethers or bath toys tend to have a lower price point, while toys with more functions and accessories are often a bit more expensive. —

Christine Luff, Parents, 22 Apr. 2024 Queen Margrethe of Denmark kicked off the year by making history as the first Danish monarch to voluntarily step down from the throne in nearly 900 years, and another sovereign is reportedly toying with the same idea. —

Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 19 Apr. 2024 People have toyed with the question since the marketing sensation was introduced during the 2022-23 NBA season. —

Brianna Taylor, Sacramento Bee, 11 Apr. 2024 Public perception shifts as Simpson toys with saga Those opinions would change over time. —

Dakin Andone, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024 Massimo Alba toyed with the material’s workwear roots via a lightweight carpenter-style pant (see right) and, for the daring, Prada presented funky-cool jean blazers. —

Max Berlinger, Robb Report, 24 Feb. 2024 Beyoncé Serves High-Fashion Cowgirl in Sheer Lace Dress and Blonde Pigtail Braids for Country-Inspired Photo Shoot Even going back to the Grammys — before Cowboy Carter was announced, Beyoncé was already toying with her country era. —

Hedy Phillips, Peoplemag, 2 Apr. 2024 After years of waiting — and many more years of Tesla toying with driver assistance software, such as Autosteer and Cruise Control — the company unveiled the Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta program in late 2020. —

William Gavin, Quartz, 1 Apr. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'toy with.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.