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
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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 Packers should have the advantage in the contest, as Arizona backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett is set to start in Week 7 with Kyler Murray sidelined for a second consecutive game due to a foot sprain.—
Jordan Sigler,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
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Regardless, the Avs finished the second period with 30 shot attempts (after 29 in the first) and a two-goal advantage.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Ace holds center stage, knees bent, slung low to the ground, brandishing his Gibson while Gene and Paul preen on either side of him.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
17 Oct. 2025
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As part of that, students constructed part of the exhibition space, including a center stage designed in the shape of a vinyl record.—
Carol Cain,
Freep.com,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Jayden Fraser added a two-point rush, giving his team an 8-7 edge at intermission.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
17 Oct. 2025
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In the Senate, Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) attempted to move forward with a vote on a full-year Defense appropriations bill on Thursday to gain some favor with Senate Democrats on the edge about the shutdown.—
Rachel Schilke,
The Washington Examiner,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Last March, Sam Westhoff, who performs under the moniker Haffway, stood beneath a lone spotlight onstage at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville and delivered a song about struggling to slow down.—
Joseph Hudak,
Rolling Stone,
17 Oct. 2025
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The Golden Globes is putting a spotlight on Brazilian entertainment with a new celebration set for March in Rio de Janeiro.—
William Earl,
Variety,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
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His quickness often gives him an upper hand to wall off lanes or square off rushers (zero sacks allowed).—
Dane Brugler,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
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Winged munition autonomously detects moving targets Raytheon also highlighted that the StormBreaker smart weapon gives operators an upper hand in combat by hitting moving targets in some of the worst weather conditions.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Sacramento’s own Deftones headlined on Friday night, and Korn had top billing on Saturday.—
Nathaniel Levine,
Sacbee.com,
6 Oct. 2025
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This surprisingly early Coachella talent announcement includes its regular roster of pop superstar headliners, with Sabrina Carpenter, Justin Bieber and Karol G taking top billing among dozens of other genre spanning acts.—
Katie Bain,
Billboard,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Microsoft’s whip hand, more than anything, else, comes down to cold hard cash.—
Jeremy Kahn,
Fortune,
19 Nov. 2023
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The failure of the ‘red wave’ to materialize means that an old-fashioned socialist will have the whip hand over health care for the next two years.—
Joel Zinberg,
National Review,
30 Nov. 2022
Noun
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My poetry began as a father’s sly growl, became a spectacle on a rickety stage washed in limelight, and now is a 70-year-old woman’s walk back into a thousand yesterdays.—
Via Scribner,
Literary Hub,
6 Oct. 2025
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The city has largely avoided the brunt of the immigration limelight somehow, with Chicago in full focus in recent days.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Catbird seat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catbird%20seat. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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