tiptoe

noun

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tip·toe | \ ˈtip-ˌtō

, -ˈtō \

Definition of tiptoe

(Entry 1 of 4)

: 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

on tiptoe

: alert, aroused the contest of skill that puts one on tiptoe to win — Deerfield (Wisc.) Independent

tiptoe

verb

tiptoed; tiptoeing

Definition of tiptoe (Entry 2 of 4)

intransitive verb

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

tiptoe

adverb

Definition of tiptoe (Entry 3 of 4)

: on or as if on tiptoe

tiptoe

adjective

Definition of tiptoe (Entry 4 of 4)

1 : standing or walking on or as if on tiptoe

2 : cautious, stealthy

More Example Sentences Phrases Containing tiptoe Learn More About 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: Noun Fans stacked themselves deep against the fairway ropes, kids sat atop the shoulders of their parents, and everyone seemed to push themselves up on tiptoe, eagerly awaiting the final few minutes until the man of the moment appeared. — Tara Sullivan, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Apr. 2022 Our spring had always arrived on tiptoe and sat in the back row, the opposite of the ebullient temperate-zone season. — Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2022 The girls crept into the kitchen; Lulu stood on tiptoe to see over the top of the kitchen counter, surveying what their uncle had brought them from the party. — Tessa Hadley, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2022 According to the research, symptoms of infected spiders include non-functional fangs, lack of appetite, and walking on tiptoe. — Abigail Adams, PEOPLE.com, 19 Jan. 2022 All four Beatles separately tiptoe to the edge, to sneak a peek at the street below. — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 29 Nov. 2021 To create these monsters, though, the adult child needs to answer the phone, copy her key, surrender her uniforms and tiptoe around parental criticism. — Washington Post, 28 June 2021 The pop star, 39, posted an image of a child standing on tiptoe alongside another pair of bare feet to her Instagram on Tuesday. — Dan Heching, PEOPLE.com, 16 Nov. 2021 It’s the thing so many series and movies tiptoe near, without getting their hands and stories around. — Michael Phillips, chicagotribune.com, 26 Aug. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Other 2024 hopefuls may have to tiptoe around Trump and raise money through political action committees with vague mission statements about helping elect Republicans. — Steve Contorno, CNN, 8 Apr. 2022 Bryan Harsin, if that doesn’t work, then just tiptoe out the backdoor when no one is looking. — Joseph Goodman | Jgoodman@al.com, al, 14 Mar. 2022 But now, officials believe the time has come to tiptoe away from such full-fledged support. — New York Times, 22 Sep. 2021 How many people, for example, will tiptoe around holiday dinner conversations this year for fear of sparking a political argument with a relative? — John Blake, CNN, 14 Nov. 2021 This idea is central to his larger effort to tiptoe between Virginia’s Trumpian-diehards and right-leaning skeptics. — Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 26 Oct. 2021 So, for example, the Blade Runner 2049 campaign told general audiences nothing about the movie and forced critics to tiptoe around a revelation about Ryan Gosling’s protagonist which was revealed in the first five minutes. — Scott Mendelson, Forbes, 31 Aug. 2021 Because many traders tend to square up positions and tiptoe out early to enjoy a long weekend, the numbers might need to be either a big hit or a big miss in order to have a major market impact. — Jj Kinahan, Forbes, 30 Aug. 2021 New York will begin to tiptoe toward housing normality. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, 13 Aug. 2021 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tiptoe.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.