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 Cyclones, 2-8 under first-year coach Matt Campbell, toyed with their opponent, rolling up nine touchdowns and 608 total yards.
—
Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 3 Feb. 2025
But since he was elected, Trump has toyed with country-specific tariffs as a negotiating tactic or punitive measure.
—Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2025
At the time, Musk had been toying with the idea of joining Twitter’s board of directors, but was growing increasingly frustrated with Agrawal.
—Zoë Schiffer, WIRED, 29 Jan. 2025
Rick Owens toyed with contrasting textures and techniques.
—Alice Pfeiffer, CNN, 28 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for toy with 
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Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 3 Feb. 2025
But since he was elected, Trump has toyed with country-specific tariffs as a negotiating tactic or punitive measure.
—Francesca Chambers, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2025
At the time, Musk had been toying with the idea of joining Twitter’s board of directors, but was growing increasingly frustrated with Agrawal.
—Zoë Schiffer, WIRED, 29 Jan. 2025
Rick Owens toyed with contrasting textures and techniques.
—Alice Pfeiffer, CNN, 28 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 6 Feb. 2025.
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