poised; poising
1
a
: balance
especially
: to hold or carry in equilibrium
carried a water jar poised on her head
b
: to hold supported or suspended without motion in a steady position
poised her fork and gave her guest a knowing look—
Louis Bromfield
Louis Bromfield2
: to hold or carry (the head) in a particular way
3
: to put into readiness : brace
1
: a stably balanced state : equilibrium
a poise between widely divergent impulses—F. R. Leavis
F. R. Leavis
: a centimeter-gram-second unit of viscosity equal to the viscosity of a fluid that would require a shearing force of one dyne to impart to a one-square-centimeter area of an arbitrary layer of the fluid a velocity of one centimeter per second relative to another layer separated from the first by a distance of one centimeter
Synonyms
Examples of poise in a Sentence
Verb
She poised her pencil above the paper and waited for the signal to begin writing.
the disgraced business executive poised herself for the difficult press conference
Noun (1)
there must be a poise between the rights of the individual and the rights of society
the woman's poise suggested that she was accustomed to having her wishes carried out promptly and without question
Recent Examples on the Web
Fred Sassani, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
With plans to extend the season, enhance infrastructure, and strengthen team commercialization models, the BAL is poised to redefine basketball in Africa.
—Sindiswa Mabunda, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
Expert Panel®, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024
Anchorman trades the ratings-battle storyline of similar films for a battle of the sexes, pitting an infantile boys’ club against a new hire navigating their sexism with the seasoned poise of someone who’s done this all before.
—Gayle Sequeira, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for poise 
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.
Verb
Additionally, when your confidence increases after losing a few pounds, you’re poised to keep losing.
—Fred Sassani, Austin American-Statesman, 22 Nov. 2024
With plans to extend the season, enhance infrastructure, and strengthen team commercialization models, the BAL is poised to redefine basketball in Africa.
—Sindiswa Mabunda, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024
Noun
Identifying potential emotional triggers in advance can help those in leadership positions maintain their poise and focus on finding solutions rather than reacting in the heat of the moment when such instances arise.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes, 6 Nov. 2024
Anchorman trades the ratings-battle storyline of similar films for a battle of the sexes, pitting an infantile boys’ club against a new hire navigating their sexism with the seasoned poise of someone who’s done this all before.
—Gayle Sequeira, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for poise
Dictionary Entries Near poise
Cite this Entry
“Poise.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poise. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
poise
1 of 2 verb
poised; poising
1
a
: balance entry 2 sense 5
especially
: to hold or make firm or steady by balancing
b
: to hold without motion in a steady position : hover
a bird poised in the air
2
: to put into readiness : brace
poised for action
poise
2 of 2 noun2
a
: a dignified self-confident manner
a speaker of great poise
b
: a way of carrying oneself : bearing
Medical Definition
: a cgs unit of viscosity equal to the viscosity of a fluid that would require a shearing force of one dyne to impart to a one square-centimeter area of an arbitrary layer of the fluid a velocity of one centimeter per second relative to another layer separated from the first by a distance of one centimeter
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share