pussyfooted

verb

past tense of pussyfoot
1
as in weaseled
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 lurked
to move about in a sly or secret manner pussyfooting through the hallways in the middle of the night

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pussyfooted
  1. shook
  2. lurked
  3. sneaked
  4. slipped
  5. slid
Verb
  • The crossing left at least 140 migrants dead and shook the city perched on the Mediterranean coast.
    — JOSEPH WILSON, Arkansas Online, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Both were arrested and were being held in separate prisons in the central city of Isfahan over their participation in the nationwide January protests that shook the Islamic republic.
    — Frank Andrews, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of shook
Verb
  • Former landlords lurked in bushes or on roofs or waited in cars outside our home.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Danger lurked in the shady groves of avocado trees that stretched on the mountainsides as far as the eye could see.
    — Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of lurked
Verb
  • Kraft also took a direct snap and sneaked for a first down on another fourth-and-1 at the Buccaneers 10.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Ersery, a Ruskin product, snuck out of the KC metro to become an all-Big Ten left tackle for Minnesota.
    — PJ Green September 24, Kansas City Star, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of sneaked
Verb
  • Amanda Peet did all of that too, starting in her late 30s because of dense breast tissue and prior benign lumps, and her stage 1 invasive lobular carcinoma still slipped past her first scan.
    — Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 14 Oct. 2026
  • These were aspirationally scheduled for no earlier than mid and late October, respectively, but have now apparently slipped to mid-to-late November (though there has been no public confirmation of any firm target date).
    — Andrew Jones, Space.com, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of slipped
Verb
  • The Dallas Cowboys tight end slid into the former college athlete and influencer's DMs with a line that ended up working and anyone can use.
    — Sean Joseph OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Artificial Intelligence infrastructure plays Nebius Group and Iren also slid 5% and nearly 8%, respectively.
    — Ananya Chetia,Darla Mercado, CFP®, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of slid
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.

Browse Nearby Words

pussyfoot
pussyfooted
pussyfooting
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Cite this Entry

“Pussyfooted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pussyfooted. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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