tiptoe
1 of 4noun
tip·toe ˈtip-ˌtō 
-ˈtō
: the position of being balanced on the balls of the feet and toes with the heels raised —usually used with on
also : the ends of the toes
tiptoe
2 of 4verb
tiptoed; tiptoeing
intransitive verb
1
: to walk or proceed quietly or cautiously on or as if on tiptoe
tiptoe around the issue
2
: to stand or raise oneself on tiptoe
tiptoe
3 of 4adverb
: on or as if on tiptoe
tiptoe
4 of 4adjective
1
: standing or walking on or as if on tiptoe
2
: cautious, stealthy
Phrases
on tiptoe : alert, aroused
the contest of skill that puts one on tiptoe to win 
Deerfield (Wisc.) Independent
Deerfield (Wisc.) Independent
Example Sentences
Verb She tiptoed through the puddle. He tiptoed quietly around the house to avoid waking the children. Adverb She had to stand tiptoe to reach the shelf.
Recent Examples on the Web Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 19 Aug. 2022 Some revolutions shatter boundaries with a crash and a bang; others arrive on tiptoe and, with a whisper, change the rules forever. Lynn Yaeger, Vogue, 12 Aug. 2022 The ethereally light chiffon cake is filled with guava, topped with guava frosting and drizzled with a guava glaze, the sweet and tartness of which tiptoe gently across the taste buds. Bahar Anooshahr, The Arizona Republic, 2 Aug. 2022 Fans stacked themselves deep against the fairway ropes, kids sat atop the shoulders of their parents, and everyone seemed to push themselves up on tiptoe, eagerly awaiting the final few minutes until the man of the moment appeared. Tara Sullivan, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Apr. 2022 Our spring had always arrived on tiptoe and sat in the back row, the opposite of the ebullient temperate-zone season. Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2022 The girls crept into the kitchen; Lulu stood on tiptoe to see over the top of the kitchen counter, surveying what their uncle had brought them from the party. Tessa Hadley, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2022 According to the research, symptoms of infected spiders include non-functional fangs, lack of appetite, and walking on tiptoe. Abigail Adams, PEOPLE.com, 19 Jan. 2022 All four Beatles separately tiptoe to the edge, to sneak a peek at the street below. Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 29 Nov. 2021 Nathan Grayson, Washington Post, 16 June 2022 In the workplace, the default course of action is to tiptoe around the elephant. Jodie Cook, Forbes, 14 Apr. 2022 Jimenez says this has given the armadillo a reason to tiptoe north. Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2022 Other 2024 hopefuls may have to tiptoe around Trump and raise money through political action committees with vague mission statements about helping elect Republicans. Steve Contorno, CNN, 8 Apr. 2022 Bryan Harsin, if that doesn’t work, then just tiptoe out the backdoor when no one is looking. Joseph Goodman | Jgoodman@al.com, al, 14 Mar. 2022 But now, officials believe the time has come to tiptoe away from such full-fledged support. New York Times, 22 Sep. 2021 How many people, for example, will tiptoe around holiday dinner conversations this year for fear of sparking a political argument with a relative? John Blake, CNN, 14 Nov. 2021 This idea is central to his larger effort to tiptoe between Virginia’s Trumpian-diehards and right-leaning skeptics. Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 26 Oct. 2021 See More
Noun
Call it Nine Inch Nails-lite, as Lovato and Royal & The Serpent (aka Ryan Santiago) tiptoe in on a creeping goth vibe before the song explodes into a fireball of anger. Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 19 Aug. 2022 Some revolutions shatter boundaries with a crash and a bang; others arrive on tiptoe and, with a whisper, change the rules forever. Lynn Yaeger, Vogue, 12 Aug. 2022 The ethereally light chiffon cake is filled with guava, topped with guava frosting and drizzled with a guava glaze, the sweet and tartness of which tiptoe gently across the taste buds. Bahar Anooshahr, The Arizona Republic, 2 Aug. 2022 Fans stacked themselves deep against the fairway ropes, kids sat atop the shoulders of their parents, and everyone seemed to push themselves up on tiptoe, eagerly awaiting the final few minutes until the man of the moment appeared. Tara Sullivan, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Apr. 2022 Our spring had always arrived on tiptoe and sat in the back row, the opposite of the ebullient temperate-zone season. Los Angeles Times, 29 Mar. 2022 The girls crept into the kitchen; Lulu stood on tiptoe to see over the top of the kitchen counter, surveying what their uncle had brought them from the party. Tessa Hadley, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2022 According to the research, symptoms of infected spiders include non-functional fangs, lack of appetite, and walking on tiptoe. Abigail Adams, PEOPLE.com, 19 Jan. 2022 All four Beatles separately tiptoe to the edge, to sneak a peek at the street below. Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 29 Nov. 2021 Verb
Memes are ever evolving, as are dogwhistles, spam and scam messages and purposeful misspellings of words that tiptoe past even the most vigilant filters. Nathan Grayson, Washington Post, 16 June 2022 In the workplace, the default course of action is to tiptoe around the elephant. Jodie Cook, Forbes, 14 Apr. 2022 Jimenez says this has given the armadillo a reason to tiptoe north. Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2022 Other 2024 hopefuls may have to tiptoe around Trump and raise money through political action committees with vague mission statements about helping elect Republicans. Steve Contorno, CNN, 8 Apr. 2022 Bryan Harsin, if that doesn’t work, then just tiptoe out the backdoor when no one is looking. Joseph Goodman | Jgoodman@al.com, al, 14 Mar. 2022 But now, officials believe the time has come to tiptoe away from such full-fledged support. New York Times, 22 Sep. 2021 How many people, for example, will tiptoe around holiday dinner conversations this year for fear of sparking a political argument with a relative? John Blake, CNN, 14 Nov. 2021 This idea is central to his larger effort to tiptoe between Virginia’s Trumpian-diehards and right-leaning skeptics. Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 26 Oct. 2021 See More Word History
First Known Use
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined above
Verb
circa 1661, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Adverb
1592, in the meaning defined above
Adjective
1593, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing tiptoe
Kids Definition
tiptoe 1 of 3
noun
tip·toe ˈtip-ˌtō
: the position of being balanced on the balls of the feet and toes with the heels raised —usually used with on
He stood on tiptoe.
tiptoe
2 of 3adverb or adjective
: on or as if on the balls of the feet and toes with the heels raised
I walked tiptoe past the dog.
tiptoe
3 of 3verb
tiptoed; tiptoeing
: to walk on the balls of the feet and toes with the heels raised
on tiptoe
phrase
as in alert
paying close attention usually for the purpose of anticipating approaching danger or opportunity She always felt pressure to remain on tiptoe when dealing with her grouchy uncle. Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- alert
- awake
- on guard
- vigilant
- watchful
- alive
- attentive
- careful
- aware
- tentie
- observant
- on one's toes
- regardful
- cautious
- on the qui vive
- sensitive
- Argus-eyed
- on the ball
- wary
- wide-awake
- keen
- conscious
- open-eyed
- on the alert
- tenty
- prepared
- sharp
- mindful
- sleepless
- cognizant
- wakeful
- heedful
- hypervigilant
- ready
- hyperalert
- chary
- observing
- sharp-eyed
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- asleep
- absent
- sleeping
- absorbed
- engrossed
- distracted
- dreaming
- preoccupied
- dreamy
- unaware
- unconscious
- abstracted
- oblivious
- faraway
- daydreaming
- dazed
- careless
- insensible
- unwitting
- heedless
- unprepared
- unmindful
- absentminded
- unthinking
- unknowing
- unwary
- inattentive
- unheeding
- unready