BEATEN AROUND THE BUSH Synonyms: 27 Similar Words

beaten around the bush

phrase

variants or beaten about the bush

past participle of beat around the bush

as in shaken

to avoid giving a definite answer or position Please stop beating around the bush and tell me the full story.

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for beaten around the bush

hemmed and hawed

Phrase

Disney president and chief creative officer Dana Walden hemmed and hawed about whether or not Jimmy Kimmel Live!

— Bethy Squires, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of hemmed and hawed

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.

Browse Nearby Words

beaten a retreat

beaten around the bush

beaten (down)

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Beaten around the bush.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/beaten%20around%20the%20bush. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of beaten around the bush

phrase

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

vocation

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 23

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes