toy with
Idioms-
Amuse oneself idly with, trifle, as in He teased her, toying with her as a cat toys with a mouse . [Early 1500s]
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Treat casually or without seriousness, as in I'm toying with the idea of writing a novel . [Early 1800s]
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.
In June, during Russia’s annual flagship economic forum in St. Petersburg, A7’s stand featured a giant roly-poly toy with the company’s logo.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
For almost as long, she’s also made experimental folk and electronic records that toy with avant-garde noise and quietly poignant songwriting.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2026
For her Netflix version, Smith Metzler tweaks the plot to toy with our unconscious ideas of upper-class power dynamics.
From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2025
After watching his team-mates toy with their opponents for a while, he received a pass on the edge of the Chinese box and rammed home Japan's seventh goal.
From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2025
The cars toy with them, appearing now in front, now to the side, now behind, coming and going so quickly he can’t be sure if he saw them at all.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
