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pussyfoot

verb

ˈpu̇-sē-ˌfu̇t How to pronounce pussyfoot (audio)
Definition of pussyfootnext
1
as in to weasel
to avoid giving a definite answer or position politicians who try to pussyfoot around hot-button issues

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in to lurk
to move about in a sly or secret manner pussyfooting through the hallways in the middle of the night

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of pussyfoot Fragments of story are fed to us, but there’s no forward thrust, just a lot of pussyfooting around. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026 Alright Genesis, the time for pussyfooting is over. — New Atlas, 2 Apr. 2026 Several of these involve a furtive religious cult known as the Scars — its adherents have a way of pussyfooting through the forest and doing absolutely horrible things to nonbelievers. — Tom Gliatto, People.com, 12 Apr. 2025 No less than Werner Herzog remade Murnau’s masterpiece in 1979, starring Klaus Kinski as the bald-headed bloodsucker; rather than pussyfoot around the whole rip-off-or-not aspect, the former doubles down and names the character Count Dracula. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 23 Dec. 2024 The results of this pussyfooting around are mixed, for everyone involved. — Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 18 Dec. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pussyfoot
  1. weasel
  2. lurk
  3. sneak
  4. mouse
  5. slip
  6. slide
Verb
  • From there, the Giants remained deadlocked in a 1-1 tie until the 10th, though San Francisco’s relievers had to weasel their way out of trouble to keep the game tied.
    — Justice delos Santos, Mercury News, 8 June 2026
  • After Felix invites him to his family’s palatial country house over summer break, Oliver weasels his way into their good graces and turns their world upside down.
    — Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 6 June 2026
Definition of weasel
Verb
  • Ema’s many long walks through the neighborhood are eerie — the screams echo as if from everywhere and nowhere — but there’s a stark beauty lurking behind the death and decay, as if life could come rushing back if enough people wanted to see it.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Life goes on, in all its quirks and intimacies and frivolities, no matter what horrors might lurk on the horizon.
    — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of lurk
Verb
  • Florida snuck by the namesake SEC rival 44-39 in their first meeting since 2019.
    — Noah White, Miami Herald, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Armstrong even sneaked ahead and pulled off a proper jump scare as himself, pointing out a mirror that created a hiding spot for performers.
    — Rodney Ho, AJC.com, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of sneak
Verb
  • Police continued searching the home and found rat and mouse feces throughout, rotting food on the kitchen counter covered with flies and other bugs, and maggots in standing water in the kitchen sink.
    — Christine Pelisek, PEOPLE, 1 June 2026
  • Transitioning to mouse mode by simply placing the controller on a table made a potentially confusing input so much more intuitive.
    — Jordan Minor, PC Magazine, 5 June 2025
Definition of mouse
Verb
  • My king bed was crisp, puffy, and beyond dreamy to slip into after a long day on my feet.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Once those stocks are depleted and if the pipeline remains closed, loadings could begin to slip, while replacement cargoes from the Americas or West Africa can take more than a month to reach Asia.
    — Matthew Tan, CNBC, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of slip
Verb
  • With third base open, Crews and Abrams bolted, and both slid in safely.
    — Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Upon decampment, the drowsy drinker is met with one final chance to imbibe, at the outside window, its sliding partition reminiscent of a Mister Softee’s.
    — Sheldon Pearce, New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of slide

Browse Nearby Words

pussycats
pussyfoot
pussyfooted
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pussyfoot.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pussyfoot. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

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