pussyfooting

verb

present participle of pussyfoot
1
as in weaseling
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 lurking
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 pussyfooting 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pussyfooting
  1. waffling
  2. lurking
  3. sneaking
  4. slipping
  5. sliding
Verb
  • The tournament’s special status — its unwillingness to place any person above the sport — is part of why Williams wanted to play singles, not just doubles with her sister Venus, after waffling on the decision.
    — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 30 June 2026
  • Nothing kills momentum faster than waffling on a big decision.
    — Rolling Stone Culture Council, Rolling Stone, 23 Feb. 2026
Definition of waffling
Verb
  • But for Mayor Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys), the local personalities pale in comparison to the evils lurking beneath the cursed island’s surface.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026
  • The thinking was that app permissions are so granular that malware lurking on the device would have no ability to access the private keys that form the lynchpin of passkey security.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of lurking
Verb
  • The fact that each tally mark was a dollar in the band’s pocket, and that sneaking in was essentially stealing money from them, also didn’t faze us.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Acknowledge your child’s feelings, then follow through with your goodbye instead of sneaking away.
    — Ashley Lynch, Sacbee.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of sneaking
Verb
  • The blockbuster pop release climbs on five of those six rankings, slipping only on the Official Albums Streaming tally.
    — Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
  • More drones and missiles are slipping through both sides’ fraying air defenses, meaning that the civilian death toll has increased, and more critical infrastructure is being damaged.
    — Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of slipping
Verb
  • These guys might do much of the unglamorous work that goes unnoticed, breaking up play, playing short passes and sliding across into position to snuff out counter-attacks, but their role is highly valued in the transfer market.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 13 Aug. 2026
  • An Intensity Slider – a simple sliding bar adjustment for controlling the depth, vibrancy, brightness and contrast of the TV’s pictures to compensate for viewing angles, onscreen reflections and simply different viewing tastes.
    — John Archer, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of sliding

Browse Nearby Words

pussyfooted
pussyfooting
pussyfoots
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Cite this Entry

“Pussyfooting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pussyfooting. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

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