See more synonyms for tiptoe on Thesaurus.comverb (used without object), tip·toed, tip·toe·ing.- to move or go on tiptoe, as with caution or stealth: She tiptoed out of the room.
- characterized by standing or walking on tiptoe.
- straining upward.
- eagerly expectant.
- cautious; stealthy.
- eagerly or cautiously; on tiptoe.
- on tiptoe,
- on the tips of one's toes.
- expectant; eager: With Christmas coming, the children were on tiptoe.
- stealthily; cautiously: The concert had already begun, so he entered the back of the hall on tiptoe.
Origin of tiptoe
1350–1400; Middle English tiptoon (plural noun). See
tip1,
toe Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for tiptoe
Contemporary Examples of tiptoe
A couple of ladies, standing on tiptoe, are scribbling over it with eyeliner and lipstick.
If Romney tries to run or tiptoe away, he will trip over his own flip-flops.
Romney, on account of his wealthy personal life, has to tiptoe around policies that redistribute wealth upward.
The establishment has to tiptoe around her and handle her delicately.
You must tell George that he must walk on tiptoe and not speak—otherwise he will die someday.
Historical Examples of tiptoe
She had to go on tiptoe through the shrubbery and out through the church yard.
The responsible man, with a start, obeyed, and went out on tiptoe.
I forgot all my tatters and stood on tiptoe in the stirrups to overpeer the fence-row.
There was somebody approaching her room—evidently on tiptoe.
The journalist stood on tiptoe, for as yet he did not understand.
British Dictionary definitions for tiptoeverb -toes, -toeing or -toed (intr)- to walk with the heels off the ground and the weight supported by the ball of the foot and the toes
- to walk silently or stealthily
- on tiptoe
- on the tips of the toes or on the ball of the foot and the toes
- eagerly anticipating something
- stealthily or silently
- walking or standing on tiptoe
- stealthy or silent
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for tiptoen.mid-15c., from tip (n.) + toe. As a verb from 1630s. Related: Tiptoes (late 14c.).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with tiptoeThe American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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