toying

present participle of toy

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of toying The formula is one of those shampoos formulated for a really great wash—delivering moisture and smoothing without toying too far into volumizing, densifying, or hair growth. — Ellie Davis, Vogue, 25 June 2026 The age-gap romance is one that Statsky said the writers have been toying around with for quite some time. — Julia Moore, PEOPLE, 3 Apr. 2026 The bill is the result of six years of studying and toying around the edges of PBM issues. — Kayla Dwyer, IndyStar, 9 Apr. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for toying
Verb
  • The Miami Hurricanes are back on the road and playing under the lights in a key Atlantic Coast Conference game.
    — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 4 Oct. 2026
  • And his relatives in turn gave notes to the actors playing their younger selves and were encouraged to interrogate Ba as his coming-of-age story was dramatized.
    — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 4 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The victim also allegedly told a DOC lieutenant that Cruz would give her candy and that the two began flirting with each other in February 2025.
    — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Elsewhere in the interview, Nader got candid about her flirting.
    — Allison DeGrushe, StyleCaster, 10 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Simulations recreating the earliest era of the solar system show that terrestrial planets, such as Earth, should form within the first few hundred million years.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • So the White House Historical Association set about recreating the Oval Office, opening the exhibit in September 2024.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Toying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toying. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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