tiptoe

[tip-toh]

noun

1. the tip or end of a toe.

verb (used without object)

tiptoed, tiptoeing 

1. to move or go on tiptoe, as with caution or stealth.

   She tiptoed out of the room.

adjective

1. characterized by standing or walking on tiptoe.

2. straining upward.

3. eagerly expectant.

4. cautious; stealthy.

adverb

1. eagerly or cautiously; on tiptoe.

tiptoe

/ ˈtɪpˌtəʊ /

verb

1. to walk with the heels off the ground and the weight supported by the ball of the foot and the toes

2. to walk silently or stealthily

noun

1. 1. on the tips of the toes or on the ball of the foot and the toes

   2. eagerly anticipating something

   3. stealthily or silently

adverb

1. on tiptoe

adjective

1. walking or standing on tiptoe

2. stealthy or silent

Word History and Origins

Origin of tiptoe¹

1350–1400; Middle English tiptoon (plural noun). See tip ¹, toe

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. on tiptoe,

   1. on the tips of one's toes.

   2. expectant; eager.

      With Christmas coming, the children were on tiptoe.

   3. stealthily; cautiously.

      The concert had already begun, so he entered the back of the hall on tiptoe.

see on tiptoe.

Example Sentences

Once he was snoring deeply, they tiptoed past his bedroom, down the stairs, and out the back door.

Read more on Literature

Now, she’s a mom on the edge, a woman resigned to life’s fringes, where she must tiptoe around live grenades so as not to make anything worse.

Read more on Salon

“It definitely just feels like we have to tiptoe around things, which I think gets in the way of having productive conversations in class,” Woodson said.

Read more on Salon

Like Carrie’s playful tiptoe stride through the streets in heels, the show pranced around topics that, had it walked through them with intention, would have given the series traces of its former self.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Brooks and Gordon carefully tiptoe the line between stereotype and commentary, creating a tension for the audience that holds us until the film resolutely jumps toward the latter side.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

• creep 
• pussyfoot 
• sneak 
• steal