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Showing results for plaything. Search instead for playgoings.
Synonyms

plaything

American  
[pley-thing] / ˈpleɪˌθɪŋ /

noun

  1. a thing to play with; toy.

  2. a person who is used capriciously and selfishly by another.


plaything British  
/ ˈpleɪˌθɪŋ /

noun

  1. a toy

  2. a person regarded or treated as a toy

    he thinks she is just his plaything

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of plaything

First recorded in 1665–75; play + thing 1

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.

Autos were no longer a “devilish plaything of the gilded class,” Mr. Moskowitz tells us.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

"Both the Royal Family and the governments of England and Wales have other things to think about, which are rather more pressing and important than a child's plaything," said Dr Jones.

From BBC • Nov. 17, 2025

Famously, he set a Barbie doll on fire to protest Greta Gerwig’s movie portraying the doll as a woman with agency, rather than a passive plaything.

From Salon • Jul. 7, 2025

And you feel like you’re just a plaything for life.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 6, 2025

I wanted to ask what on earth she thought it was if it wasn’t a plaything.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

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