toy

/tɔɪ/

/tɔɪ/

Other forms: toys; toying; toyed

A toy is an object that's made for a child to play with. Your favorite childhood toy might have been a dollhouse, a stuffed animal, or a set of blocks.

Some toys are specifically designed for play, like a small wooden train set or a baby's shape sorter. You can also make toys out of everyday objects and materials—a piece of paper can take the shape of a toy airplane, and a saucepan can become a toy drum. Very small dogs are another kind of toy, like a toy poodle. When you use it as a verb, toy means "move or handle absent-mindedly."

Definitions of toy

1. noun

   an artifact designed to be played with
   synonyms: plaything

   types:

   ball

   a spherical object used as a plaything

   balloon

   small thin inflatable rubber bag with narrow neck

   cockhorse

   anything used as a toy horse (such as a rocking horse or one knee of an adult)

   doll, dolly

   a small replica of a person; used as a toy

   doll's house, dollhouse

   a small model of a house used as a toy by children

   Frisbee

   a light, plastic disk about 10 inches in diameter; propelled with a flip of the wrist for recreation or competition

   hobby, hobbyhorse, rocking horse

   a child's plaything consisting of an imitation horse mounted on rockers; the child straddles it and pretends to ride

   hula-hoop

   plaything consisting of a tubular plastic hoop for swinging around the hips

   jack-in-the-box

   plaything consisting of a toy clown that jumps out of a box when the lid is opened

   jungle gym

   a structure of vertical and horizontal rods where children can climb and play

   jumping jack

   plaything consisting of a toy figure with movable joints that can be made to dance by pulling strings

   kaleidoscope

   an optical toy in a tube; it produces symmetrical patterns as bits of colored glass are reflected by mirrors

   kite

   plaything consisting of a light frame covered with tissue paper; flown in wind at end of a string

   Lego, Lego set

   (trademark) a brand of interlocking building bricks and construction toys

   Meccano, Meccano set

   a child's construction set for making mechanical models

   pea shooter

   a straight narrow tube through which pellets (as dried peas) can be blown at a target

   pinata

   plaything consisting of a container filled with toys and candy; suspended from a height for blindfolded children to break with sticks

   pinwheel, pinwheel wind collector

   a toy consisting of vanes of colored paper or plastic that is pinned to a stick and spins when it is pointed into the wind

   playhouse, wendy house

   plaything consisting of a small model of a house that children can play inside of

   pogo stick

   plaything consisting of a pole with foot rests and a strong spring; propelled by jumping

   popgun

   plaything consisting of a toy gun that makes a popping sound

   rattle

   a baby's toy that makes percussive noises when shaken

   sandbox, sandpile, sandpit

   a plaything consisting of a pile of sand or a box filled with sand for children to play in

   dandle board, seesaw, teeter, teeter-totter, teeterboard, teetertotter, tilting board

   a plaything consisting of a board balanced on a fulcrum; the board is ridden up and down by children at either end

   playground slide, slide, sliding board

   plaything consisting of a sloping chute down which children can slide

   catapult, sling, slingshot

   a plaything consisting of a Y-shaped stick with elastic between the arms; used to propel small stones

   stick horse

   a child's plaything consisting on an imitation horse's head on one end of a stick

   swing

   mechanical device used as a plaything to support someone swinging back and forth

   teddy, teddy bear

   plaything consisting of a child's toy bear (usually plush and stuffed with soft materials)

   spinning top, teetotum, top, whirligig

   a conical child's plaything tapering to a steel point on which it can be made to spin

   train set

   a toy consisting of small models of railroad trains and the track for them to run on

   squirt gun, squirter, water gun, water pistol

   plaything consisting of a toy pistol that squirts water

   yo-yo

   a toy consisting of a spool that is reeled up and down on a string by motions of the hand

   beach ball, beachball

   large and light ball; for play at the seaside

   box kite

   a kite shaped like a box open at both ends

   golliwog, golliwogg

   a grotesque black doll

   humming top

   a top that makes a humming noise as it spins

   kachina

   a carved doll wearing the costume of a particular Pueblo spirit; usually presented to a child as a gift

   paper doll

   a piece of paper cut or folded into the shape of a human being

   peg top

   a pear-shaped top made of wood with a metal center pin

   puppet

   a doll with a hollow head of a person or animal and a cloth body; intended to fit over the hand and be manipulated with the fingers

   rag doll

   a cloth doll that is stuffed and (usually) painted

   sawdust doll

   a doll that is stuffed with sawdust

   snowball

   snow pressed into a ball for throwing (playfully)

   sport kite, stunt kite

   a maneuverable kite controlled by two lines and flown with both hands

   toy soldier

   a doll that resembles a soldier

   trapeze

   a swing used by circus acrobats

   tree house

   a playhouse built in the branches of a tree

   whip top, whipping top

   a top that is spun by whipping

   dreidel

   a four-sided top used in a game traditionally played during the Jewish festival of Hanukkah

   type of:

   artefact, artifact

   a man-made object taken as a whole
2. noun

   a device regarded as providing amusement
   “private airplanes are a rich man's toy”

   type of:

   device

   an instrumentality invented for a particular purpose
3. verb

   manipulate manually or in one's mind or imagination
   synonyms: diddle, fiddle, play

   types:

   put out, retire

   cause to be out on a fielding play

   type of:

   manipulate

   hold something in one's hands and move it
4. verb

   behave carelessly or indifferently
   synonyms: dally, flirt, play

   dally, play, trifle

   consider not very seriously

   type of:

   act, move

   perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
5. verb

   engage in an activity as if it were a game rather than take it seriously
   “toy with an idea”

   synonyms: play

   type of:

   act, behave, do

   behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself
6. noun

   a nonfunctional replica of something else (frequently used as a modifier)
   “a toy stove”

   type of:

   replica, replication, reproduction

   copy that is not the original; something that has been copied
7. noun

   a copy that reproduces a person or thing in greatly reduced size
   synonyms: miniature

   type of:

   copy

   a thing made to be similar or identical to another thing
8. noun

   any of several breeds of very small dogs kept purely as pets
   synonyms: toy dog

   types:

   Chihuahua

   an old breed of tiny short-haired dog with protruding eyes from Mexico held to antedate Aztec civilization

   Japanese spaniel

   breed of toy dogs originating in Japan having a silky black-and-white or red-and-white coat

   Maltese, Maltese dog, Maltese terrier

   breed of toy dogs having a long straight silky white coat

   Peke, Pekinese, Pekingese

   a Chinese breed of small short-legged dogs with a long silky coat and broad flat muzzle

   Shih Tzu, Shih-Tzu, shih tzu

   a Chinese breed of small dog similar to a Pekingese

   toy spaniel

   a very small spaniel

   toy terrier

   a small active dog

   English toy spaniel

   British breed having a long silky coat and rounded head with a short upturned muzzle

   King Charles spaniel

   a toy English spaniel with a black-and-tan coat; named after Charles II who popularized it

   papillon

   small slender toy spaniel with erect ears and a black-spotted brown to white coat

   type of:

   Canis familiaris, dog, domestic dog

   a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds