What does "toy" mean?
Something to play with, especially as intended for use by a child.
Toy
/taɪ/ adj, name, noun, verb, slang
adj, name, noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Something to play with, especially as intended for use by a child.
- Grammar: toy is listed as adj, name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: plaything, a continental, a curse, a damn.
- Useful contrasts: real-world projects, care, complete.
- Usage evidence: It took three hours to put the broken toy together.
How to use "toy"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "toy" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "toy" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "toy" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "toy" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "toy" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "plaything" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "toy", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Something to play with, especially as intended for use by a child.
"A grown man like him does not play with a child’s toy."
- 2 any of several breeds of very small dogs kept purely as pets wordnet
- 3 A thing of little importance or value; a trifle.
"tis a pretie toy to be a Poet."
- 4 a copy that reproduces a person or thing in greatly reduced size wordnet
- 5 A simple, light piece of music, written especially for the virginal.
Show 16 more definitions
- 6 an artifact designed to be played with wordnet
- 7 Ellipsis of toy dog. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
"Since standards are large dogs, they grow much more rapidly than miniatures and toys, which means that they require more supplements."
- 8 a device regarded as providing amusement wordnet
- 9 Love play, amorous dalliance; fondling. obsolete
"Then seemed him his Lady by him lay, / And to him playnd, how that false winged boy, / Her chast hart had subdewd, to learne Dame pleasures toy."
- 10 a nonfunctional replica of something else (frequently used as a modifier) wordnet
- 11 A vague fancy, a ridiculous idea or notion; a whim. obsolete
"Though they do talk with you, and seem to be otherwise employed, and to your thinking very intent and busy, still that toy runs in their mind, that fear, that suspicion, that abuse, that jealousy […]."
- 12 An old story; a silly tale. obsolete
"More strange than true: I never may believe these antique fables, nor these fairy toys."
- 13 A headdress of linen or wool that hangs down over the shoulders, worn by elderly women of the lower classes. Scotland, archaic
"Having, moreover, put on her clean toy, rokelay, and scarlet plaid."
- 14 Ellipsis of sex toy. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis, euphemistic
- 15 An inferior graffiti artist. derogatory, slang
"It is incorrect to say that toys tag and masters piece; toys just do bad tags, bad throw-ups, and bad pieces."
- 16 A gun. Multicultural-London-English, slang
"RONNIE: Now, that is a SIG Sauer P226. JIMMY VICKERS (played by Danny Dyer): Yeah, takes 19 in the clip. It’s effective up to 50 metres. RONNIE: Man knows his toys."
- 17 The penis. dated, euphemistic, slang
- 18 The vagina. dated, euphemistic, slang
- 19 A watch. dated, slang
"a toy and tackle (a watch and chain)"
- 20 A small jar (about an inch across) used to hold prepared opium. dated, slang
"Sonia, with a woman's dainty deftness in small matters, dug out the chocolate-colored opium from a little white jar, a "toey," cooking it over a steady flame of peanut-oil."
- 21 A small ball of opium (about the size of a pea). dated, slang
"I smoked a toy a day, same as on the ship. You could buy a small toy for two dollars."
Verb
- 1 To play (with) in an idle or desultory way. intransitive
"to toy with a piece of food on one’s plate"
- 2 engage in an activity as if it were a game rather than take it seriously wordnet
- 3 To ponder or consider. intransitive
"I have been toying with the idea of starting my own business."
- 4 manipulate manually or in one's mind or imagination wordnet
- 5 To stimulate with a sex toy. slang, transitive
"He could see her hand go to her slit, and soon she was toying herself along, breathing heavily."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 behave carelessly or indifferently wordnet
Adjective
- 1 Impractical or unsuitable for real-world use, due to being unrealistically small or simple. attributive
"Our evaluation scenarios are purposefully simplistic […] This implies that the scenarios are quite toy and not representative of real deployments."
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"It took three hours to put the broken toy together."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "toy"?
Common synonyms include: plaything, a continental, a curse, a damn, a darn, a hoot.
How do you use "toy" in a sentence?
It took three hours to put the broken toy together.
How do you pronounce "toy"?
Pronounced /taɪ/.
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English toye (“amorous play, piece of fun or entertainment”), probably from Middle Dutch toy, tuyg (“tools, apparatus, utensil, ornament”) as in Dutch speel-tuig (“play-thing, toy”), from Old Dutch *tiug, from Proto-West Germanic *tiugī̆, *teug, from Proto-Germanic *teugą (“stuff, matter, device, gear, lever”, literally “that which is drawn or pulled”), from Proto-Germanic *teuhaną (“to lead, bring, pull”), from Proto-Indo-European *dewk- (“to pull, lead”). Cognate with German Zeug (“stuff”), Danish tøj (“stuff”), Norwegian tøy (“equipment, riggings, stuff”). Related to tug, tow, taw, tew.