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

Antetokounmpo totaled 10 points on 2-of-3 shooting from the field and 6-of-8 shooting from the foul line, two rebounds, one assist and one steal while playing only 11 minutes in Saturday’s first half.

— Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 25 Oct. 2026
The practice involves writing down your intrusive thoughts and fears, and even recording yourself talking about them, and playing that recording back to yourself.

— Ava Kofman, New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of playing

Verb

Without it, growth would have slowed to a mere fraction of a percentage point, leaving the economy nearly stagnant and flirting with recession.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026
The benchmark 10-year note spent the day flirting with the psychologically important 5% level as oil prices surged and a fresh consumer survey showed that inflation expectations remain a good distance above the Federal Reserve's 2% goal.

— Jeff Cox, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of flirting

Verb

That leaves open the distinction between recreating the behavior of an Atari 800XL through modern software and reproducing the original hardware more directly.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 20 Oct. 2026
Cameras on Zond 8 captured stunning views of the Earth and moon, recreating the iconic Earthrise views seen by Apollo 8 astronauts two years earlier in 1968.

— Tariq Malik, Space.com, 20 Oct. 2026