: the position of being balanced on the balls of the feet and toes with the heels raised
—usually used with on
also
: the ends of the toes
see also:
tiptoed; tiptoeing
1
: to walk or proceed quietly or cautiously on or as if on tiptoe
tiptoe around the issue
2
: to stand or raise oneself on tiptoe
: on or as if on tiptoe
Examples of tiptoe in a Sentence
Verb
She tiptoed through the puddle.
He tiptoed quietly around the house to avoid waking the children.
Adverb
She had to stand tiptoe to reach the shelf.
Recent Examples on the Web
James Boyd, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2026
On the tour with Krueger, Ingrid Barkow watched from her wheelchair as the elephants roamed their habitat, while Monika Jansen balanced on her tiptoes to get a better view of a rhinoceros.
—ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 31 May 2026
Even when The Breadwinner starts to tiptoe toward potential reactionary ideas about who belongs in the workplace and who belongs at home, the movie backs off and makes sure that no leaves the theater riled up.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tiptoe
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
Clark then put her back against the padded wall behind her and stood on her tiptoes to try to fit all of the media members in the frame.
—James Boyd, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2026
On the tour with Krueger, Ingrid Barkow watched from her wheelchair as the elephants roamed their habitat, while Monika Jansen balanced on her tiptoes to get a better view of a rhinoceros.
—ABC News, 21 Apr. 2026
Verb
Yes, the Avs are tiptoeing into salary-cap Hades.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 31 May 2026
Even when The Breadwinner starts to tiptoe toward potential reactionary ideas about who belongs in the workplace and who belongs at home, the movie backs off and makes sure that no leaves the theater riled up.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 28 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tiptoe
Cite this Entry
“Tiptoe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tiptoe. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tiptoe
1 of 3 noun
tip·toe
ˈtip-ˌtō 
-ˈtō
1
: the tip of a toe
2
: the ends of the toes
tiptoe
2 of 3 adverb or adjective
: on or as if on tiptoe
tiptoe
3 of 3 verb
tiptoed; tiptoeing
: to walk on tiptoe
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
