tiptoe

[ tip-toh ]
See synonyms for: tiptoetiptoedtiptoeingtiptoes on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. the tip or end of a toe.

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

  1. eagerly expectant.

  2. cautious; stealthy.

adverb
  1. eagerly or cautiously; on tiptoe.

Idioms about tiptoe

  1. 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

1
1350–1400; Middle English tiptoon (plural noun). See tip1, toe

Words Nearby tiptoe

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use tiptoe in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tiptoe

tiptoe

/ (ˈtɪpˌtəʊ) /


verb-toes, -toeing or -toed (intr)
  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. 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
  1. on tiptoe

adjective
  1. walking or standing on tiptoe

  2. 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

Other Idioms and Phrases with tiptoe

tiptoe

see on tiptoe.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.