tiptoe
noun
-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
tiptoe
verbDefinition of tiptoe (Entry 2 of 4)
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
adverbDefinition of tiptoe (Entry 3 of 4)
: on or as if on tiptoe
tiptoe
adjectiveDefinition of tiptoe (Entry 4 of 4)
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
In America’s Game, the end of an era departed on tiptoe. — Michael Farber, SI.com, "Mark Moseley, Last of the Straight-On Kickers," 2 July 2018 The room was hot and sweaty and smelled like feet, and Red Bull skydiver Jeff Provenzano was struggling to hold a squat on tiptoe. — Jacqueline Detwiler, Popular Mechanics, "This Pro Skydiver Was Invincible—Until his Heart Stopped Beating Regularly," 22 June 2018 The tiptoe toward retirement carries far greater importance than the typical executive turnover. — Philip Elliott, Time, "Billionaire Industrialist David Koch Retires From Business and Politics," 5 June 2018 Many of the women’s turns were executed with the foot on half tiptoe rather than fully on the tips of the toes. — New York Times, "In ‘Harlequinade,’ Gestures Dance, and Dances Tell Stories," 29 May 2018 Austin departs on her tiptoes, probably ferried in a chariot pulled by centaurs. — Tamar Adler, Vogue, "What Statement Should Your Wedding Cake Make?," 17 May 2018 As Yong reports, another set of human prints—which were much fainter, as if the person was moving on tiptoes—approaches from the opposite direction. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Fossil Tracks May Record Ancient Humans Hunting Giant Sloths," 30 Apr. 2018 Spectators spring onto their tiptoes; a kid whoops and punches the air as the sled barrels through curve six. — Nick Pachelli, Esquire, "Justin Olsen Will Get Lost," 8 Feb. 2018 The ones that want to get the information out kind of tiptoe around. — Bruce Henderson, charlotteobserver, "Glowing balls spotted near Charlotte as scientists look for aliens | Charlotte Observer," 10 Jan. 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
As Alcantara tiptoed through trouble on the mound, the Marlins’ future at the plate flexed his muscles. — Matthew Defranks, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Marlins' future on display as Sandy Alcantara, Lewis Brinson lead Miami past Mets," 30 June 2018 As Coutinho lounged on the turf with a couple of others at Brazil’s training facility in Sochi, Russia, Neymar put his fingers to his lips and tiptoed up behind his teammate. — Rory Smith, New York Times, "All Eyes Are on Neymar, but It’s Coutinho Who Is Leading Brazil," 28 June 2018 When spiders tiptoe, lift their abdomen, and release silk, the strands pick up a negative charge. — Renae Reints, Fortune, "Spiders Can Fly Through the Air for Miles Using Electricity, Study Finds," 6 July 2018 Agholor tiptoed in bounds after the rolling Foles found him on a comeback. — Jeff Mclane, Philly.com, "Eagles practice observations: Jalen Mills locks down; Nelson Agholor explodes; Dallas Goedert catches on," 13 June 2018 Class speaker Zenzele Price was frank about the uncertainty of tiptoeing to the cusp of adulthood. — Matthew Ormseth, courant.com, "Anita Hill, Tapped to Replace Keynote Speaker Accused of Sexual Misconduct, Warns Wesleyan Graduates of "Uncertain Times" Ahead," 27 May 2018 Despite Moscow’s rancorous relationship with the United States and Europe, investors have tiptoed back into Russian stocks and bonds over the last year, as the economy proved resilient to the raft of sanctions in recent years. — Matt Phillips, New York Times, "Russian Markets Reel After U.S. Imposes New Sanctions," 9 Apr. 2018 Long a swaggering force, these conservatives now tiptoe on social media outlets like Twitter. — Washington Post, BostonGlobe.com, "Once-powerful Saudi conservatives losing clout," 5 June 2018 Backers of California state Sen. Kevin de León, a Democrat challenging Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) from the left, are tiptoeing into the June 5 primary with their first TV ad. — David Weigel, Washington Post, "Super PAC goes on the air for Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s primary challenger," 12 Apr. 2018These 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.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for tiptoe
tiptoe
adverbEnglish Language Learners Definition of tiptoe
(Entry 1 of 2)
: with your toes touching the ground and your heels raised up
tiptoe
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of tiptoe (Entry 2 of 2)
: to walk with your heels raised up and only your toes touching the ground
See the full definition for tiptoe in the English Language Learners Dictionary
tiptoe
noun
\
Kids Definition of tiptoe
(Entry 1 of 3)
: the position of being balanced on the balls of the feet and toes with the heels raised —usually used with on He stood on tiptoe.
tiptoe
adverb or adjectiveKids Definition of tiptoe (Entry 2 of 3)
: on or as if on the balls of the feet and toes with the heels raised I walked tiptoe past the dog.
tiptoe
verbKids Definition of tiptoe (Entry 3 of 3)
: to walk on the balls of the feet and toes with the heels raised
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on tiptoe
What made you want to look up tiptoe? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Great Scrabble Words—A Quiz
-
- Which of the following Q-without-U words means the number five in cards or dice?
Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
-
Great Scrabble Words—A Quiz
Words to improve your Scrabble game
Take the quiz -
Which Came First? Quiz
Do you know which word is older?
Take the quiz -
Name That Thing
Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!
Take the quiz -
SCRABBLE® Sprint
SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!
Play the game
Share tiptoe
Resources for tiptoe