1
as in advantage
the more favorable condition or position in a competition
your fluency in French should put you in the catbird seat for getting the Paris posting
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in center stage
the center of public attention
in the wake of the natural disaster, this obscure bureaucrat was suddenly and unexpectedly thrust into the catbird seat
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of catbird seat
The upstart state assemblymember is at the forefront of a coalition of progressives seeking to block former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo from taking the proverbial catbird seat in Gracie Mansion.
—
James Powel, USA Today, 24 June 2025
Mom, who’d just flown from Washington state to the Big Apple, fist-pumped her way to a catbird seat on Cloud 9.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 3 Apr. 2025
With memory giants like Samsung and SK Hynix cranking up production to keep pace with Nvidia’s Blackwell ramp, Lam is sitting in the catbird seat.
—John Buckingham, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
The catbird seats were occupied instead by the titans of attention.
—Ezra Klein, The Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for catbird seat
James Powel, USA Today, 24 June 2025
Mom, who’d just flown from Washington state to the Big Apple, fist-pumped her way to a catbird seat on Cloud 9.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 3 Apr. 2025
With memory giants like Samsung and SK Hynix cranking up production to keep pace with Nvidia’s Blackwell ramp, Lam is sitting in the catbird seat.
—John Buckingham, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025
The catbird seats were occupied instead by the titans of attention.
—Ezra Klein, The Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for catbird seat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catbird seat
Noun
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The work accomplished at Silent Swarm 2025, along with technology such as the TEEMS device, illustrates how the company is architecting the advantage for today’s performance and tomorrow’s success along the tactical edge.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Through two periods, Carolina had a 25-11 advantage in shots on goal.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Technology, the execs acknowledge, will be center stage in the talks with studios and streamers given the leap forward in AI in the three years since the last round of negotiations.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
9 Jan. 2026
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Recovering consumer demand in China remains center stage, the reported added.—
Tasmin Lockwood,
CNBC,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Rye whiskey is the drier and spicier cousin of bourbon with an herbaceous edge, an edge which (as with the Sazerac, La Louisiane and others) is given a few dozen exclamation points with a dash of absinthe.—
Jeremy Repanich,
Robb Report,
10 Jan. 2026
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Cake mix, lemon pie filling, and butter come together in the oven to create crisp edges and a gooey, citrusy center, while a little cream cheese in the mix rounds out the lemon’s brightness.—
Maggie Meyer Glisan,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Plunging necklines and pleated skirts would go on to be stylish spotlights in Monroe's fashions.—
Kevin Huynh,
InStyle,
10 Jan. 2026
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Storrie was thrust into the international spotlight in late 2025 for his role as hockey player Ilya Rozanov in Heated Rivalry, based on the novel of the same name by Rachel Reid.—
Nicholas Rice,
PEOPLE,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
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There are a limited number of sites these facilities can go, giving local governments an upper hand in negotiations.—
Rachyl Jones,
semafor.com,
7 Jan. 2026
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Brouk & Co Pearl Travel Jewelry Case Anything from Oprah’s Favorites list already has an upper hand in White Elephant, and this travel jewelry case proves why.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
20 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Given top billing for the first time while Jayson Tatum recovers from Achilles surgery, the 29-year-old is putting together the best season of his career as the leader of a Celtics team that has far exceeded preseason expectations.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
4 Jan. 2026
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The moon and sun share top billing in 2026.—
Marcia Dunn,
Fortune,
28 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Brian King Joseph may be entering the legal limelight with his lawsuit against Will Smith, but the musician is no stranger to showbiz.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
2 Jan. 2026
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Automotive companies like Ford and GM usually get the most limelight, but there were many others, like Singer, a company that normally makes sewing machines, that started making firearm components.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
28 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
The bill passed in June without media attention, while bombs were dropping on Iran.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
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But Vanderbilt, as attention, pressure and fatigue rise on a pursuit no one outside its camp expected, is essentially two teams with two games left in the 2025 regular season.—
Joe Rexrode,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Catbird seat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catbird%20seat. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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