Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
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- [poo s-ee-foo t]
- /ˈpʊs iˌfʊt/
- /ˈpʊs.i.fʊt/
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [poo s-ee-foo t]
- /ˈpʊs iˌfʊt/
Definitions of pussyfoot word
- verb without object pussyfoot to go or move in a stealthy or cautious manner. 1
- verb without object pussyfoot to act cautiously or timidly, as if afraid to commit oneself on a point at issue. 1
- noun plural pussyfoot a person with a catlike, or soft and stealthy, tread. 1
- noun plural pussyfoot Chiefly British. a teetotaler or prohibitionist. 1
- intransitive verb pussyfoot act cautiously 1
- verb pussyfoot If you say that someone is pussyfooting around, you are criticizing them for behaving in a too cautious way because they are not sure what to do and are afraid to commit themselves. 0
Information block about the term
Origin of pussyfoot
First appearance:
before 1890 One of the 20% newest English words
An Americanism dating back to 1890-95; pussy1 + foot
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Pussyfoot
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
pussyfoot popularity
A pretty common term. Usually people know it’s meaning, but prefer to use a more spread out synonym. About 39% of English native speakers know the meaning and use word.
This word is included in each student's vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.
pussyfoot usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for pussyfoot
adj pussyfoot
- all ears — If someone says that they are all ears, they mean that they are ready and eager to listen.
- cautious — Someone who is cautious acts very carefully in order to avoid possible danger.
- forethoughtful — full of or having forethought; provident.
verb pussyfoot
- beat around the bush — to talk around a subject without getting to the point
- beg the question — If you say that something begs a particular question, you mean that it makes people want to ask that question; some people consider that this use is incorrect.
- bummed — depressed, upset, distressed, annoyed, etc.
- bumming — a person who avoids work and sponges on others; loafer; idler.
- cover up — If you cover something or someone up, you put something over them in order to protect or hide them.
Top questions with pussyfoot
- what is a pussyfoot?
See also
Matching words
- Words starting with p
- Words starting with pu
- Words starting with pus
- Words starting with puss
- Words starting with pussy
- Words starting with pussyf
- Words starting with pussyfo
- Words starting with pussyfoo
- Words starting with pussyfoot