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
Relevance
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 catbird seats were occupied instead by the titans of attention.
—
Ezra Klein, The Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2025
Seems to me that the Giants are in the catbird seat.
—Grant Brisbee, The Athletic, 24 July 2024
William Byron, on the other hand, is in the catbird seat among Hendrick Motorsports drivers and sits with a seven-point cushion above the cutoff line.
—Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 2 Nov. 2024
Brat is what happens when an auteur is given a budget and the catbird seat in the boardroom.
—Hazlitt, 17 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for catbird seat
Ezra Klein, The Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2025
Seems to me that the Giants are in the catbird seat.
—Grant Brisbee, The Athletic, 24 July 2024
William Byron, on the other hand, is in the catbird seat among Hendrick Motorsports drivers and sits with a seven-point cushion above the cutoff line.
—Marco Rubio, Newsweek, 2 Nov. 2024
Brat is what happens when an auteur is given a budget and the catbird seat in the boardroom.
—Hazlitt, 17 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for catbird seat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catbird seat
Noun
-
Butts said drones give U.S. troops a major advantage as infantry units can use them to look over obstacles.—
Jasmine Baehr,
FOXNews.com,
18 June 2025
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Her early jump into campaigning beginning in November 2023, and prolific fundraising, may have given Spanberger the advantage needed to discourage any potential challengers from even trying, said Professor David Richards, chair of the political science department at the University of Lynchburg.—
Savannah Kuchar,
USA Today,
18 June 2025
Noun
-
But their turn at center stage could be coming soon.—
Mike Hendricks,
Kansas City Star,
9 June 2025
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Expected at center stage is Apple’s new iOS, unveiling new features and designs that will ripple through other platforms including laptops, iPads, watches and more.—
Pueng Vongs,
Mercury News,
5 June 2025
Noun
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Minnesota is reeling after the attacks, and lawmakers and the public are on edge as the gunman remains at-large.—
Erin Doherty,
CNBC,
15 June 2025
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The region is already on edge as Israel seeks to annihilate Hamas, an Iranian ally, in the Gaza Strip, where war still rages after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack.—
Jon Gambrell,
Chicago Tribune,
15 June 2025
Noun
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The Locarno team also put a spotlight on Liu’s other artistic work.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
10 June 2025
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Vandersloot’s injury immediately thrust Van Lith into an unexpected spotlight.—
Julia Poe,
Chicago Tribune,
8 June 2025
Noun
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In a Game 5 rout in Toronto, Tkachuk’s line was dominant, with a 16-3 advantage on attempts, a 9-1 edge on scoring chances, a 71 percent expected goal share and a 1-0 upper hand on goals, with Tkachuk assisting on Dmitry Kulikov’s winner.—
Michael Russo,
New York Times,
20 May 2025
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Catch Up On The Story Stars, Mikko Rantanen gain upper hand on Jets with Game 3 victory: Takeaways The Stars scored three third-period goals to break a tie and earn a 5-2 win in Game 3 and a 2-1 series lead.—
Murat Ates,
New York Times,
12 May 2025
Noun
-
Smith was ranked No. 1 in the U.S. at the time, two spots ahead of his pal, yet the wildly popular Ashe always got top billing.—
Sam Farmer,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2025
-
New England folk-pop singer-songwriter Noah Kahan gets top billing on Sunday, and the docket also includes sets from Goose, Carin Leon, Flo Rida, Khruangbin and — best of all — legendary rock guitarist Robby Krieger from The Doors, among many others.—
Jim Harrington,
Mercury News,
24 May 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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The people who went to Washington as a result of his decision live in the political limelight.—
James C. Clark,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 May 2025
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Protein may be hogging the nutrition limelight at the moment, but amid all the hubbub, don’t forget about one critical carb: fiber.—
Caroline Tien,
SELF,
18 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Catbird seat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catbird%20seat. Accessed 23 Jun. 2025.
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