on tiptoe
Idioms-
Eagerly anticipating something, as in The children were on tiptoe before the birthday party . [Late 1500s]
-
Moving stealthily, warily, as in They went down the hall on tiptoe . [Mid-1700s] Both usages transfer standing on one's toes to a particular reason for doing so; def. 2 alludes to moving more quietly in this fashion.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Once she could have sworn she saw figures standing on tiptoe on the glittering surface of the water.
From Literature
She rose on tiptoe and performed a single, wobbly pirouette.
From Literature
Joe stood on tiptoe to read the sign near the front door.
From Literature
Even standing on tiptoe, there was no way they could reach it alone.
From Literature
Eight-year-old Willow Lopez stood on tiptoe, her chin hooked over the 4-foot steel fence and her heart doing atomic drops as the aging wrestler climbed into the ring at the Sonoma County Fair.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
