poised

adjective

\ ˈpȯizd

How to pronounce poised (audio)

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Definition of poised

: having poise:

a : marked by balance or equilibrium

b : marked by easy composure of manner or bearing

Examples of poised in a Sentence

The actors were poised on the stage, ready for the curtain to come up. She held the pencil poised over the paper. The company is poised for success. She seemed poised to take on the leadership of the country. He is now poised to become the next big star in country music. a city poised between the mountains and the sea a group of people poised between hope and fear

Recent Examples on the Web

At that point, with the no-hitter off the table, Greinke still looked poised to pitch a shutout, which would have been just his third since 2013. — Richard Morin, azcentral, "Zack Greinke shuts down Nationals as Diamondbacks open series with win," 13 June 2019 Friday’s result: Incredibly Lucky was sitting fourth throughout the race and looked poised. — John Cherwa, latimes.com, "Racing! It’s time for a huge day at Belmont," 8 June 2019 Schauffele also appears poised to break through in his third full year on tour. — Doug Ferguson, The Denver Post, "Rickie Fowler and the USGA off to a good start at U.S. Open," 13 June 2019 The Blues feel poised to steal the Cup on the road. — Matt Porter, BostonGlobe.com, "For Game 7, Bruins are counting on their Stanley Cup experience," 11 June 2019 Royals outfielder Billy Hamilton sprinted after the ball and seemed poised to catch it. — Ryan Divish, The Seattle Times, "The Mariners needed a miracle to beat the Royals. They got it, and return home 13-2, sweep in hand.," 12 Apr. 2019 Photo: Kevin Frayer/Getty Images Analysts also point out that, even with earnings growth expected to decelerate in the fourth quarter from the third, companies look poised to post healthy profits anyway. — Akane Otani, WSJ, "Slowing Earnings Growth, Gloomy Forecasts Add to Stock Market’s Woes," 13 Jan. 2019 While there are still several holes, the Browns look poised to make a sizable leap. — Michael Middlehurst-schwartz, USA TODAY, "NFL worst-to-first candidates: Which teams could make big leaps in 2018?," 16 May 2018 L'Equipe are reporting that Liverpool are poised to strike a deal with Koffi, while Monaco are also preparing to offer him a professional contract. — SI.com, "Liverpool Reportedly Poised to Sign 17-Year-Old Monaco Academy Prospect," 5 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'poised.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

4 Jul 2019

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Time Traveler for poised

The first known use of poised was in 1626

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More Definitions for poised

poised

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of poised

: not moving but ready to move

: ready or prepared for something

: in a state, place, or situation that is between two different or opposite things

See the full definition for poised in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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