: 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
tiptoed; tiptoeing
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
: on or as if on tiptoe
Examples of tiptoe in a Sentence
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
Sara Holdren, Vulture, 16 Dec. 2024
Now the girl was barefoot and walking on tiptoe, holding her strappy high heels in one hand.
—Jamie Quatro, Harper's Magazine, 2 Aug. 2024
Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 24 Feb. 2025
The Horned Frogs have won five of their last six, including Tuesday night’s huge Q1 takedown of Texas Tech, to tiptoe into the at-large discussion.
—Jim Root, The Athletic, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tiptoe
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
The show is a polite tiptoe along a cliff, a trek across a field of eggshells that as often as not are strewn atop landmines.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 16 Dec. 2024
Now the girl was barefoot and walking on tiptoe, holding her strappy high heels in one hand.
—Jamie Quatro, Harper's Magazine, 2 Aug. 2024
Verb
Guests will likely tiptoe over to Bar Kabawa for an impeccable after-dinner drink and, of course, good vibes, with a side of education.
—Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 24 Feb. 2025
The Horned Frogs have won five of their last six, including Tuesday night’s huge Q1 takedown of Texas Tech, to tiptoe into the at-large discussion.
—Jim Root, The Athletic, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tiptoe
Cite this Entry
“Tiptoe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tiptoe. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tiptoe
1 of 3 noun
tip·toe
ˈtip-ˌtō 
-ˈtō
1
: the tip of a toe
2
: the ends of the toes
tiptoe
2 of 3 adverb or adjective
: on or as if on tiptoe
tiptoe
3 of 3 verb
tiptoed; tiptoeing
: to walk on tiptoe
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share