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

In many ways, that optimistic stance was spot-on. —Kansas City Star, 28 Mar. 2026

In a joint town hall for Districts 2, 7, 9 and 14, council members took a strong stance to preserve smaller libraries. —Devyani Chhetri, Dallas Morning News, 28 Mar. 2026

The wide body moldings and bold stance give the compact crossover a surprisingly aggressive appearance. —Sponsored Content, Denver Post, 27 Mar. 2026

While House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) has yet to take a stance on the deal, several of his top lieutenants have praised it. —Rachel Schilke, The Washington Examiner, 27 Mar. 2026

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