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
  • The set creates a good seal while remaining easy to take apart—even after creating high pressure by dry shaking egg whites.
    — Justine Sterling, Bon Appetit Magazine, 31 July 2026
  • Lindsay Clancy cried, her shoulders shaking, during the doctor's testimony.
    — Penny Kmitt, CBS News, 31 July 2026
Definition of shaking
Verb
  • But there is a feeling Everton are hedging their bets; willing to sell at the right price — close to £20m — but having placed a valuation on him that may deter at least some potential suitors.
    — Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 14 July 2026
  • Chopra said that suggests some Argentina fans are hedging rather than assuming their team will make the final.
    — Contessa Brewer, CNBC, 14 July 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
  • Grayson threatened to shoot her and Massey apologized before ducking down behind a counter and covering her face with what appeared to be a red oven mitt, the video shows.
    — Tesfaye Negussie, ABC News, 31 July 2026
  • Gardner described various efforts by the Coliseum body — formally called the Joint Powers Authority — to discuss the Roots’ outstanding debt, accusing team officials of ducking those communications.
    — Shomik Mukherjee, Mercury News, 31 July 2026
Definition of ducking
Verb
  • Throughout the day, teenagers would dash onto the beach, dodging officers before diving back into the water.
    — Kerry Breen, CBS News, 31 July 2026
  • Discovered in 2004 while traveling on an alarming potential collision course with our planet, the near-Earth asteroid Apophis is now better known as the best example yet of our world dodging a cosmic bullet.
    — Andrew Jones, Scientific American, 30 July 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 5 Aug. 2026.

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