Meaning of toy in English

toy

noun [ C ]

/tɔɪ/ uk

/tɔɪ/

Add to word list Add to word list

an object for children to play with:

a clockwork/wind-up toy

UK a cuddly/soft/stuffed toy

a toy train/farm/soldier

Put your toys away now - it's time for bed.

Leave daddy's camera alone - it isn't a toy!

an object that is used by an adult for pleasure rather than for serious use:

His latest toy is an underwater camera.

She has several executive toys on her desk.

More examplesFewer examples

Carol won a large soft toy at the fair.
I remember when I was a child being very impressed with how many toys she had.
I want you to clear all these toys away before bedtime.
Babies like toys that make a noise when you shake them.
Put that down carefully, Christopher, and don't fiddle with it please - it's not a toy.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Toys & dolls

See more results »

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Miscellaneous pastimes & their participants

toy

adjective [ before noun ]

/tɔɪ/ uk

/tɔɪ/

belonging or relating to a very small breed of dog that is kept as a pet:

a toy poodle/spaniel

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Canines (dogs)

See more results »

(Definition of toy from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

toy | Intermediate English

toy

noun [ C ]

/tɔɪ/

toy noun [C] (PLAY OBJECT)

Add to word list Add to word list

an object that children play with:

a stuffed toy

a toy train/soldier

toy

adjective [ not gradable ]

/tɔɪ/

toy adjective [not gradable] (SMALL DOG)

(of a breed of dog) very small and kept as a pet:

a toy poodle

(Definition of toy from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of toy

toy

How do you deal with toy eradication in your home?

From San Francisco Chronicle

These "little boys" enjoy playing war games with the very expensive toys we buy for them.

From Washington Post

What are some things they're thinking about or toying with?

From NPR

This is a man who loves his toys.

From Wired

Viewers can tell when it's a toy show.

From Los Angeles Times

In the liberated areas, we will try to pass out toys to the kids to give them a sense of normalcy.

From CNN

The children from the first group played with the toy longer and discovered more of its "hidden" features than those in the second group.

From Slate Magazine

The 4-year-olds were actually more likely to figure out the toy than the adults were.

From Slate Magazine

There was, like, a little set, by the toys where they sold a few albums.

From NPR

But the beauty of kids' toys is that nobody expects you to be.

From The Verge

They were awesome, of course, and were one of the toys that definitely defined my childhood.

From Wired

Airplanes are interesting toys but of no military value.

From Fast Company

And every boy, sooner or later, must put away his toys and become a man!

From Plain Dealer

And you focus on the right toys for your kids, the right educational things for your kids.

From NPR

A friend in the toy industry tells me that he makes toys for little kids because you can't survive marketing to older kids.

From CNET

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.