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

The justices may have been aware, going into this batch of cases, of the strong stance the Catholic Church has taken on immigration. —Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 21 Mar. 2026

This comes as Robb Shuter reported that William is taking a hard stance with Prince Andrew, in an effort to protect the monarchy. —Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 21 Mar. 2026

Sánchez has also found that his anti-war stance has proved popular with Spanish voters. —Graham Keeley, Miami Herald, 20 Mar. 2026

Lösch did not detail what prompted the change in the organization's stance. —ABC News, 20 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