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
Justice Delos Santos, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024
Republicans now seem poised to control the White House, the Senate, the House, and the Supreme Court – all three branches of government.
—Richard Stacy, The Denver Post, 7 Nov. 2024
Janis Carr, Orange County Register, 1 Nov. 2024
But in recent weeks, with the Big Ten slate in full swing, that late-game poise has waned, while mistakes have piled up.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2024
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Verb
The Dodgers, unsurprisingly, have been linked to Adames, and following a billion-dollar offseason that resulted in a World Series title, Los Angeles is poised to flex its financial muscle yet again.
—Justice Delos Santos, The Mercury News, 7 Nov. 2024
Republicans now seem poised to control the White House, the Senate, the House, and the Supreme Court – all three branches of government.
—Richard Stacy, The Denver Post, 7 Nov. 2024
Noun
Kevin Durant, who said fans in The Wall section affected him in the previous meeting, showed more poise the second time, scoring 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting.
—Janis Carr, Orange County Register, 1 Nov. 2024
But in recent weeks, with the Big Ten slate in full swing, that late-game poise has waned, while mistakes have piled up.
—Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 22 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 22 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
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