tiptoe

[ tip-toh ]

/ ˈtɪpˌtoʊ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tiptoe ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the tip or end of a toe.

verb (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.

adjective

characterized by standing or walking on tiptoe.

straining upward.

eagerly expectant.

cautious; stealthy.

adverb

eagerly or cautiously; on tiptoe.

Nearby words

Idioms

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for tiptoeing

So, like real pumas, the women who waited to see are just tiptoeing away, catlike, from the battle.
White Women Dump the Dems|Linda Hirshman|September 27, 2010|DAILY BEAST
Others are tiptoeing around the second item, as Elizabeth launches the latest book in her oeuvre of misfortune: Resilience.
Elizabeth Edwards the Hypocrite|Kathleen Parker|May 6, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Tiptoeing across the hall they went into this room at the front of the house and gently raised a window here.
Talbot's Angles|Amy E. Blanchard
The planks rattled and creaked in an ominous manner in spite of their tiptoeing.
The Secret Mark|Roy J. Snell

In an instant more he was tiptoeing, a dark, silent figure, through the corridors of the house.
The Voice of the Pack|Edison Marshall
Then he entered, tiptoeing gingerly, as if he were afraid of disturbing a meeting.
The Portion of Labor|Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
While she lay thinking and looking at Noreen she became conscious of Larry tiptoeing downstairs.
At the Crossroads|Harriet T. Comstock

British Dictionary definitions for tiptoeing

tiptoe

/ (ˈtɪpˌtəʊ) /

verb -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

noun

on tiptoe

on the tips of the toes or on the ball of the foot and the toes
eagerly anticipating something
stealthily or silently

adverb

on tiptoe

adjective

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 tiptoeing

tiptoe

mid-15c., from tip (n.) + toe. As a verb from 1630s. Related: Tiptoes (late 14c.).

Idioms and Phrases with tiptoeing

tiptoe

see on tiptoe.

tiptoe

noun

verb (used without object), tip·toed, tip·toe·ing.

adjective

adverb

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Idioms

Origin of tiptoe

Examples from the Web for tiptoeing

British Dictionary definitions for tiptoeing

tiptoe

verb -toes, -toeing or -toed (intr)

noun

adverb

adjective

Word Origin and History for tiptoeing

tiptoe

Idioms and Phrases with tiptoeing

tiptoe