POISES Synonyms: 93 Similar and Opposite Words

poises 1 of 2

noun

plural of poise

as in stances

a general way of holding the body the woman's poise suggested that she was accustomed to having her wishes carried out promptly and without question

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poises

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of poise

as in fortifies

to prepare (oneself) mentally or emotionally the disgraced business executive poised herself for the difficult press conference

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in hovers

to rest or move along the surface of a liquid or in the air the falcon poised in the air for an instant before diving to attack its prey

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for poises

Noun

The group has faced criticism over its stances on various issues, including the wars in Gaza and Iran.

— Saige Miller, NPR, 22 Oct. 2026
However, the crowd came equipped with homemade signs and flags, taking political stances.

— Dominick Williams, Kansas City Star, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of stances

Verb

The additional financing fortifies its position as one of two investors alongside the Ellison family controlling Paramount’s voting stock.

— Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026
The addition of cotton and raw material-producing countries like Egypt and Ethiopia further fortifies a strong sourcing platform that already includes manufacturing giants India and China.

— Mayu Saini, Footwear News, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of fortifies

Verb

As Indy hovers above us, for instance, his legs and hips subtly shift.

— Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
But when Alexander saw the green machine, the tree excavator, feet away from the 100-year-old oak tree that hovers over the corner of Salem Drive and Idlewood Circle, that was not fine.

— Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of hovers

Noun

Countdowns shape budgets and deterrence postures—which is why getting the timeline wrong has serious consequences, for all parties in the relationship.

— Ningrong Liu, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
In particular, the Iyengar style of yoga uses a yoga chair (designed with an open back and a completely flat seat) for advanced postures like an upside-down inversion where the yogi’s shoulders rest on two chairs while their head hangs in between.

— Jennifer Heimlich, Time, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of postures

Verb

High tides inundated Southern California communities with water on Monday, flooding streets from Newport Beach to Long Beach, as the region braces for days of coastal flooding from near-record or record-high sea levels this week.

— Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2026
French President Emmanuel Macron said protests not organized by trade unions would be banned, as the Élysée braces for further unrest ahead of demonstrations planned for Saturday.

— Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of braces

Verb

Expect a night of dazzling sights, as costumed performers, puppets and floats make their way down Columbus Drive.

— Jennifer Day, Chicago Tribune, 22 Oct. 2026
Each night, Musgraves floats over the audience, cozily nestled in a giant set of disco ball Truck Nutz.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of floats

Noun

More broadly, a meta-analysis of over 100 studies found that fear appeals reliably shift attitudes and behavior across health and other domains.

— Monique Mitchell Turner, The Conversation, 23 Oct. 2026
Above 5%, however, attitudes began to shift and yields suddenly starting looking like an attractive entry point, compensating even for the risk of inflation above 3%.

— Fred Imbert,Sean Conlon,Hugh Leask, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of attitudes

Verb

The festival is an annual opportunity to catch the best from the global festival circuit — especially as Oscar campaign season readies for November.

— Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 20 Oct. 2026
Now with almost two years under de La Faverie’s belt, Zannino laid out the priorities for the year ahead as the enterprise readies itself for the future.

— Jenny B. Fine, Footwear News, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of readies

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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poised

poises

poising

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“Poises.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poises. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of poises

noun

verb

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