Meaning & use
stepping on eggshells
Last updated
“stepping on eggshells” is a form of “step on eggshells”.
Meaning
phraseidiomfigurativeinformal
Behaving very carefully to avoid upsetting someone or causing trouble.
Grammar: Used as a continuous verb phrase: 'I feel like I'm stepping on eggshells.' The base form is 'step on eggshells'.
Patterns
- be stepping on eggshells
- feel like you are stepping on eggshells
- step on eggshells around someone
Since the argument, everyone has been stepping on eggshells around my father.
I hate stepping on eggshells at work just to keep the manager calm.
You don't have to keep stepping on eggshells; just tell her the truth.
Word forms
| base form | step on eggshells |
|---|---|
| third person singular | steps on eggshells |
| past tense | stepped on eggshells |
| past participle | stepped on eggshells |
Common combinations
- be walking on eggshells
- After the argument we were walking on eggshells for days.
- step on eggshells around someone
- I always step on eggshells around my boss.
- feel like you are stepping on eggshells
- I feel like I'm stepping on eggshells whenever I talk to him.
- keep stepping on eggshells
- You can't keep stepping on eggshells forever.
Synonyms and how they differ
- walking on eggshells
- This is the more common form of the same idiom and means exactly the same thing.
- treading carefully
- 'Treading carefully' is a plainer expression for acting with caution, though it does not always suggest fear of upsetting someone.
- being diplomatic
- 'Being diplomatic' means choosing your words tactfully, which can describe a similar situation.
Opposites
Commonly confused: stepping on eggshells or walking on eggshells?
stepping on eggshells vs walking on eggshells
'Walking on eggshells' is the standard version; 'stepping on eggshells' is a common variant with the same meaning.
Practice
Which sentence uses the idiom correctly?
Choose one answer.
The idiom is 'step on eggshells', so it needs the preposition 'on' and the -ing form after 'been'. Option 1 drops 'on'; option 2 uses the wrong preposition; option 3 uses the wrong verb form.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “stepping on eggshells”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.