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

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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
  • And while global child mortality data for 2025 won’t be available for several months, health officials are already bracing for a surge in deaths among the world’s youngest and most vulnerable.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Even with potential signs of a softening labor market, however, some economists are bracing for a potential upside surprise in the July data or at least indications that inflation is too stubborn for the Fed to ignore.
    — Jeff Cox, CNBC, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of bracing
Verb
  • No one will string the words together and actually say it out loud, but as former players and Campbell tap-dance around the uncomfortable question about what’s changed, the message hovering between the lines is not difficult to read.
    — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Average costs for the potassium-rich fruit have seen little change as of late, hovering between 65 and 67 cents over the last 12 months.
    — Claire Malon, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of hovering
Verb
  • Residents were busy fortifying their properties ahead of the peak of the weather event, as city officials positioned crews early to begin working on lining the shore with berms.
    — Lesley Marin, CBS News, 30 July 2026
  • Paramount now must strengthen its case for a high-stakes trial while fortifying Paramount’s existing businesses and managing uncertainty among the employee base.
    — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2026
Definition of fortifying
Verb
  • There, satellite imagery reviewed by CNN shows the Christophe de Margerie sidled up against a sprawling floating storage unit, in a formation typical of ship-to-ship cargo transfers.
    — Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Photos of the outside cemetery show flooding and floating debris.
    — Dave Savini, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of floating
Verb
  • Taiwan throttled its own internet during annual defense exercises this week, readying its population for a possible future attack by China.
    — Ann Scott Tyson, Christian Science Monitor, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Próspera is also one of the locations for partner clinics of Minicircle, another longevity start-up readying its own Klotho gene therapy.
    — Mark Ellwood, Robb Report, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of readying
Verb
  • Offensive notes Tommy DeVito settled in nicely after sailing some early throws.
    — Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 15 Aug. 2026
  • That comment followed news that the USS George Washington is now sailing to the Middle East and is expected to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, which has been at sea for some 250 days and not had a port call for more than 200.
    — Alexander Smith, NBC news, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of sailing
Verb
  • That teen's death came less than a week after police issued a warning about swimming in the Milford quarry.
    — Matt Schooley, CBS News, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Douglass opted not to race the individual 100, instead swimming the 100 breaststroke Thursday.
    — Peter Baugh, New York Times, 15 Aug. 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 18 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on poising

Nglish: Translation of poising for Spanish Speakers

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