poising

verb

present participle of poise
1
as in bracing
to prepare (oneself) mentally or emotionally the disgraced business executive poised herself for the difficult press conference

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hovering
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for poising
  1. bracing
  2. hovering
  3. fortifying
  4. floating
  5. readying
  6. sailing
  7. swimming
Verb
  • This lawsuit raises a lot of questions about whether this seismic shift that the industry has been bracing for for months will really happen as has been expected.
    — Brian Welk, IndieWire, 14 July 2026
  • Europe reported more than 10,000 excess deaths during June’s record-breaking heatwave, new data showed, with analysts bracing for a higher toll as forecasts point to higher temperatures.
    — Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 13 July 2026
Definition of bracing
Verb
  • After the Memorandum of Understanding between Iran and the United States collapsed last week, oil prices shot higher, rising above $85 a barrel after hovering in the low $70 range the previous few weeks.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 16 July 2026
  • Conditions stay moderate all year round, with temperatures generally hovering between the 50s and 70s from January through December.
    — Cu Fleshman, Travel + Leisure, 15 July 2026
Definition of hovering
Verb
  • The Gulf has made significant progress in fortifying its cyber resilience and digital infrastructure, but many argue that its insurance frameworks have not kept pace with the growing systemic risks posed by today’s cybercriminals.
    — Melissa Hancock, Fortune, 7 July 2026
  • Moscow has spent years fortifying Crimea, tripling its troop presence, deploying advanced air defenses and coastal batteries, and studding the land with missile launch systems.
    — Marc Santora, New York Times, 4 July 2026
Definition of fortifying
Verb
  • Home to the first floating Zuma in the world, Japanese is arguably the Waldorf Astoria Maldives’ most popular cuisine.
    — Katie Lockhart, Robb Report, 16 July 2026
  • The interiors are purposefully focused around the driver, and the integrated gear-change gate beneath the floating dashboard immediately catches your eye.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 16 July 2026
Definition of floating
Verb
  • Apple is readying its iPhone 18 family for release in September, and Greater China, as multinational corporations like to call it, accounts for upwards of 20% of Apple’s global revenue.
    — Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 16 July 2026
  • Apple is also rumored to be readying a foldable iPhone with a similar design, which could launch later this year.
    — Stevie Bonifield, The Verge, 15 July 2026
Definition of readying
Verb
  • And Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) has struck ships sailing close to the Omani coastline.
    — Jomana Karadsheh, CNN Money, 19 July 2026
  • Among them are hundreds of thousands of families sailing aboard three Disney cruise ships, all homeported there.
    — Jack Kennedy, The Orlando Sentinel, 19 July 2026
Definition of sailing
Verb
  • The Menlo Park Fire Protection District received a call during the week of July 13 stating that a dog had entered a body of water and was swimming.
    — Raven Brunner, PEOPLE, 20 July 2026
  • The East Palo Alto Police Department posted a separate video from the rescue that shows the dog swimming furiously with seagulls circling overhead and firefighters scooping him out of the murky water and swaddling him in towels.
    — Rebecca Ellis, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2026
Definition of swimming
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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poises
poising
poison
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Cite this Entry

“Poising.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poising. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on poising

Nglish: Translation of poising for Spanish Speakers

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