tiptoeing

verb

present participle of tiptoe
as in padding

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tiptoeing
  1. padding
  2. creeping
  3. inching
  4. crawling
  5. edging
  6. sneaking
  7. ghosting
  8. slinking
Verb
  • This team has much bigger goals than padding their record against teams not expected to sniff the playoff picture this season.
    — Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • From happy greetings at the door to the familiar sound of paws padding across the floor, our pets make a house feel even more like home.
    — Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of padding
Verb
  • Eisenkot is viewed by supporters as a capable leader with sterling security credentials who, along with his likely governing partners, could act as a bulwark against creeping illiberalism.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 28 Oct. 2026
  • Gusts of more than 60 mph are possible in parts of the Outer Banks with 40 to 50 mph gusts creeping toward the Interstate 95 corridor in North Carolina and southern Virginia.
    — Mary Gilbert, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of creeping
Verb
  • China and Europe are holding their positions and inching up modestly, the executive said.
    — Martino Carrera, Footwear News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Many in the district, which stretches from Denver’s northern suburbs to her home in the meatpacking hub of Greeley, appear to be inching in the same direction.
    — Teo Armus, Washington Post, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of inching
Verb
  • Insects crawling around three-compartment sink and hand wash sink in kitchen.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Pack a blackout sleep mask just in case There’s nothing worse than finally crawling into your hotel bed after a long travel day, only to discover that the curtains don’t fully close and a streetlight is shining directly onto your pillow.
    — Rosie Marder, Travel + Leisure, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of crawling
Verb
  • However, even with the central bank holding rates unchanged, credit card rates are edging higher as issuers protect themselves from risk, according to LendingTree.
    — Jessica Dickler, CNBC, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Hard to believe Naperville North hadn’t won a playoff game since 2010 until edging Fremd on Friday.
    — Mike McGraw, Chicago Tribune, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of edging
Verb
  • Bus noise was a similar story, with the low engine rumble handled well and only some of the higher-frequency intermittent sounds sneaking through.
    — Christian de Looper, PC Magazine, 26 Oct. 2026
  • For a solid thirty minutes, the candidates defended their honor as the race’s most pro-Israel candidate — at times sneaking in jabs about their opponent.
    — Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of sneaking
Verb
  • The more often people talk about ghosting, the more people seem to ghost.
    — Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2025
Definition of ghosting
Verb
  • Video posted to social media shows a man slinking behind In-N-Out signs and shrubs, seeking out the source of the gunfire.
    — Mark Dee, Idaho Statesman, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Just running around wearing cloaks, slinking into and out of castles, slicing the throats of all who cross her.
    — Brian Grubb, Vulture, 27 July 2026
Definition of slinking
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

tiptoed
tiptoeing
tiptoes
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tiptoeing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tiptoeing. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of wabi-sabi

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

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

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

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
woman sitting on floor holding book in front of her face on pink background
Famous Novels, Last Lines Quiz Needless to say, spoiler alert.
See All