Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Something to play with; a toy.
- noun One treated as a toy.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun A toy; anything that serves to amuse.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A thing to play with; a toy; anything that serves to amuse.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A thing or person intended for
playing with.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun an artifact designed to be played with
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
Support
Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word plaything.
Examples
-
I could call him a lackey, but the term plaything is even more impersonal.
-
I should be Don John of Austria's wife to-day -- and then, then his 'toy,' his 'plaything' -- yes, and his slave and his servant -- what you will!
-
But the being cherished as a kind of plaything in my room, and the consciousness that this accomplishment of mine was bruited about among the boys, and attracted a good deal of notice to me though I was the youngest there, stimulated me to exertion.
David Copperfield 2007
-
He said court rules and proceedings as well as the dignity of the court could not be turned into a "plaything" simply to be used by political parties.
-
Darwinism, which seemed so important to his fellows, was only the same kind of plaything of the mind as the creation in six days.
Resurrection 2003
-
Nobody cares much for that kind of plaything at close range.
Wild Wings A Romance of Youth Margaret Rebecca Piper
-
The three spent an hour discussing the new "plaything," as Mr. Norwood insisted upon calling it.
The Campfire Girls of Roselawn Or, a Strange Message from the Air Margaret Penrose
-
The Piazza itself, (which is situated in the centre of the city, just beyond the Pantheon,) and all the adjacent streets, are lined with booths covered with every kind of plaything for children.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 05, No. 27, January, 1860 Various
-
But the being cherished as a kind of plaything in my room, and the consciousness that this accomplishment of mine was bruited about among the boys, and attracted a good deal of notice to me though I was the youngest there, stimulated me to exertion.
-
The word, "plaything," was almost the only word they could understand.
Comments
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.