toy
noun
an object, often a small representation of something familiar, as an animal or person, for children or others to play with; plaything.
had been toying
-
past perfect progressiveof toy.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Roller Rabbit had been toying with moving into scents, but Cafeteria data led it to pause that idea.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2025
He had been toying with the idea of a case-of-the-week TV show, and in Lyonne, he believed he had an actor that audiences would love to hang with on a weekly basis.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 30, 2023
Prosecutors told the jurors that their notes would be destroyed, an announcement that angered one of the jurors, who had been toying with writing something about his experience.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 15, 2023
Carlos said he had been toying with the idea of getting a solar system, and he thought the salesman's pitch to slash their electrical bill sounded good.
From Salon ● May 9, 2020
The kitten knew what it was because it had been toying with it all along, but now it attacked, claws drawn, trying to sink its teeth into the soft rubber.
From "The Pigman" by Paul Zindel
