weaseling

verb

present participle of weasel
as in waffling
to avoid giving a definite answer or position the polite guest chose to weasel rather than admit that he didn't like the meal

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for weaseling
  1. waffling
  2. shaking
  3. hedging
  4. equivocating
  5. ducking
  6. dodging
  7. pussyfooting
  8. fudging
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
  • His hands were not shaking, and the cup was returned to his father un-rinsed and brimming with water.
    — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
  • That dynamic is shaking the electric power industry to its core.
    — Laurent Belsie, Christian Science Monitor, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of shaking
Verb
  • This year, Elliott is hedging his bets, running for reelection to the House while challenging the governor.
    — Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 3 Aug. 2026
  • That means that clients are hedging exposures a lot more because things are more volatile and more uncertain.
    — Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of hedging
Verb
  • This was after much pressing and equivocating, number one.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 29 Mar. 2026
  • But the judge’s equivocating ruling in that piracy case created a loophole, according to Anthropic’s lawyers.
    — James Folta, Literary Hub, 6 Feb. 2026
Definition of equivocating
Verb
  • Larkin has used Moskowitz’s refusal to appear with him to accuse the reelection-seeking congressman of ducking debates and avoiding the voters.
    — Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Two men walking across the street on Parkside Place can be seen ducking for cover, one behind a parked car.
    — Lisa Rozner, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of ducking
Verb
  • To help build that picture, Heinzerling and team got on court with Nadal, with camera operators dodging tennis balls and sliding and capturing moments of Nadal with his young son and wife at home.
    — Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 9 Aug. 2026
  • With these headwinds in sight, the success of Myspace hinges on some key factors, including attracting advertisers, sustaining user interest, and dodging a thorny regulatory environment.
    — Sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of dodging
Verb
  • 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, New Atlas, 2 Apr. 2026
Definition of pussyfooting
Verb
  • Like, in the movie version, the person playing Raffensperger might be fudging results while eating his catered lunch.
    — Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, 16 July 2026
  • For some of these inquiries, the read-in-between-the-lines accusation was that Neon is fudging the numbers.
    — Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 21 Apr. 2026
Definition of fudging
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

weaseled (out of)
weaseling
weaseling (out of)
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Cite this Entry

“Weaseling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/weaseling. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

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