Thesaurus results for PUSSYFOOTING

pussyfooting

verb

present participle of pussyfoot

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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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

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

In addition to dark transits, another tactic for sneaking oil supplies through the strait is ship-to-ship transfers, a practice Iran and Russia have previously used to get their oil tankers past Western sanctions.

— Jason Ma, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026
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

Definition of sneaking

Verb

Vaccination rates have been slipping since the 2019–2020 school year, when the US had obtained rates of around 95 percent, the threshold needed to keep outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases from spreading in communities.

— Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 17 Aug. 2026
By the time a slipping receivable or a bloated inventory line shows up in that review, weeks of cash have already been lost.

— Nick Chandi, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of slipping

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pussyfooted

pussyfooting

pussyfoots

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“Pussyfooting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pussyfooting. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of pussyfooting

verb

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