TOYING Synonyms: 67 Similar and Opposite Words

toying

verb

present participle of toy

as in playing

to engage in activity for amusement the cat toyed with the mouse it had caught, batting it about

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in flirting

to show a sexual attraction for someone just for fun likes to toy with men whom she has no intention of actually dating

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Rumors have circulated that Stan may be playing Harvey Dent, the district attorney who eventually becomes the villainous Two-Face and was previously portrayed by Aaron Eckhart, Tommy Lee Jones, and Billy Dee Williams.

— Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Sep. 2026
Trout, whose Angels tenure has included seven managers and five heads of baseball operations, will now be playing under a new owner for the first time.

— Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of playing

Verb

However, with Martinez pushing to leave again and flirting with Juventus, Villa decided to grant him his wish and brought in Zion Suzuki from Parma as his replacement.

— David Ornstein, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
In the 1974 song, Parton sings about a woman flirting with her man.

— Giovana Gelhoren, InStyle, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of flirting

Verb

Marie Claire describes the trend as deliberately recreating dark circles and other signs of tiredness that makeup has traditionally been used to hide.

— Ashley Lynch, Miami Herald, 28 Aug. 2026
The new video has nearly two million views and also dovetails with a recent TikTok trend of people recreating the original.

— Katie Bain, Billboard, 27 Aug. 2026