1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

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

Relevance
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
  • Surging Treasury yields have rattled Wall Street, but there may also be an opportunity lurking for income investors to turn a profit.
    — Michelle Fox, CNBC, 14 Sep. 2026
  • For more than a century, astronomers have been captivated by the idea that an undiscovered planet could be lurking in the furthest reaches of our solar system.
    — Micah Hanks, Space.com, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of lurking
Verb
  • Imagine sneaking into a math library and combing through every mathematical text ever written.
    — Lyndie Chiou, Scientific American, 22 Sep. 2026
  • The Chiefs placed Royals at tight end on the line, sneaking him across the back of the end zone on a drag route.
    — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of sneaking
Verb
  • Use them on your luggage, backpack, purse, or fanny pack to prevent sneaky pickpockets from slipping their fingers inside.
    — Joel Balsam, Travel + Leisure, 20 Sep. 2026
  • For a Chopard party in New York, supermodel Bella Hadid also went archival, slipping into a slinky silver Ralph Lauren gown—complete with Chopard diamonds.
    — Christian Allaire, Vogue, 20 Sep. 2026
Definition of slipping
Verb
  • Perhaps this is why beloved ‘90s nostalgia brands like McQueen and Calvin Klein (both with sliding revenues) aren’t resonating as well.
    — Fiona Sinclair Scott, CNN Money, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Giants safety Jevon Holland made a sliding grab near the Cowboys sideline.
    — Jon Machota, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of sliding

Browse Nearby Words

pussyfooted
pussyfooting
pussyfoots
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pussyfooting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pussyfooting. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 25
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All