toys

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of toy.

   The store keeps its educational toys on the back shelves.

   Collectors pay high prices for vintage tin toys in good condition.

   Note

   A regular plural, and the spelling shows why. The final y follows a vowel, so English simply adds -s, as in boys and keys, rather than changing it to -ies. The plural serves every noun meaning of toy, not only playthings: trifles, toy dogs, and the light keyboard pieces once written for the virginal can all be toys.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of toy.

   The cat toys with the mouse before letting it go.

   He toys with his food whenever he is anxious about something.

   Note

   The present-tense form for he, she or it, spelled exactly like the plural noun. Its usual partner is with. A cat toys with a mouse, a diner toys with food, and someone undecided toys with an idea, which is the pondering sense of the verb. With a direct object and no with, it can carry a slang sexual meaning, so the preposition is worth keeping.

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