stance

noun

ˈstan(t)s 

1

chiefly Scotland

a

: station

b

: site

2

a

: a way of standing or being placed : posture

b

: intellectual or emotional attitude

took an antiwar stance

3

a

: the position of the feet of a golfer or batter preparatory to making a swing

b

: the position of both body and feet from which an athlete starts or operates

Synonyms

• attitude
• carriage
• poise
• posture
• station

Examples of stance in a Sentence

a slightly aggressive stance

Recent Examples on the Web

John Thys/Getty Images Speaking ahead of the upcoming NATO summit, Secretary General Mark Rutte reaffirmed the alliance's unified stance on Iran's nuclear ambitions. —Amanda Castro hannah Parry shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 June 2025

Currently, inflation in Russia sits at nearly 10% and the central bank’s hawkish stance has interest rates up to 20% in June. —Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 22 June 2025

Khamenei’s stance is at once recalcitrant and cautious to the point of cowardice. —Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 22 June 2025

Trump has long cited his 2018 withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), as evidence of his tough stance on Tehran. —Spriha Srivastava, CNBC, 22 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English stance, staunce, from Middle French estance position, posture, stay, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *stantia, from Latin stant-, stans, present participle of stare to stand

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing stance

• closed stance
• open stance

Rhymes for stance

• chance
• dance
• glance
• hance
• hanse
• lance
• manse
• prance
• trance
• advance
• askance
• enhance

Kids Definition

stance

noun

ˈstan(t)s 

1

: a way of standing or being placed : posture

a soldier with an erect stance

2

: a way of thinking or feeling

took an opposing stance on the issue