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 of stance

• posture
• attitude

Examples of stance in a Sentence

a slightly aggressive stance

Recent Examples on the Web

David Haug, a Fish and Wildlife Commission employee, expressed confusion over the telework decision when considering Newsom’s previous stance on government operations. —William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 17 Dec. 2025

Taking into account his stance and the club’s view, there’s a decent chance that no agreement is found over a new destination for Ter Stegen any time soon. —Pol Ballús, New York Times, 17 Dec. 2025

While the accuracy of the conservative think tank’s research has been criticised in the past, Haring’s stance has been echoed by the likes of BlackRock’s Larry Fink. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 16 Dec. 2025

The pro-Russian stance has fed growing concerns in Europe, whose leaders and policymakers increasingly view China as both an economic competitor and a security threat. —Zongyuan Zoe Liu, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 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