1
as in bracing
to prepare (oneself) mentally or emotionally
the disgraced business executive poised herself for the difficult press conference
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Verb
-
The West Coast is also bracing for rising temperatures, with highs climbing to 10 to 25 degrees above normal this weekend.—
Christine Rapp,
NBC news,
13 June 2026 -
Women are bracing for hot flashes while the real experience is dominated by exhaustion, mood changes and cognitive symptoms, the kinds of complaints that get attributed to stress, parenting, work or aging in general.—
Allison Palmer
Updated June 13,
Charlotte Observer,
13 June 2026
Verb
-
Nahant Beach saw another jump to 95% after hovering around 80% for the previous four years, the report stated.—
Grace Zokovitch,
Boston Herald,
9 June 2026
-
When Sean Penn and Madonna got married in 1985, their Malibu wedding was interrupted by several helicopters hovering.—
Alli Rosenbloom,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
It is primarily tasked with repairing and fortifying the city’s more than 210,000 streetlamps — a frequent target of copper wire thieves — and maintaining its network of electrical vehicle charging stations.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
-
The five-day trade fair drew Black businesspersons from dozens of states, fortifying Jackson’s assertion that economic development is the way to Black power.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
6 June 2026
Verb
-
Pino was on another civilian’s boat, floating next to that vessel, and then got on Brutto’s boat, the footage shows.—
David Goodhue,
Miami Herald,
10 June 2026
-
The lawsuit, which was filed in a California federal district court by Joshua Davis and other attorneys from Berger Montague and Freedman Normand Friedland, is premised on ideas that have been floating around the House settlement and its implementation for some time.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
Even before the exhibition was open to the public, as the museum was readying for a private press preview, passersby on Grand Avenue grabbed paper tags from the outdoor installation’s instructions table and began filling the olive trees with their desires, the Broad said.—
Deborah Vankin,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
-
The latter offering involves enclosing chips in casing and readying them to be connected to other circuitry.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
During the low tide and full moon, most of the vessels don't go sailing.—
Nicole F. Roberts,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
-
As of June 10, the cheapest fare available on any cruise was $187 per person, based on double occupancy, for a three-day voyage to the line’s exclusive destination on Grand Bahama, Celebration Key, sailing round-trip from Miami aboard Carnival Conquest.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
Her body was found a few miles away from where she was believed to have been swimming, per police, according to the Miami Herald.—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
7 June 2026
-
Establish and enforce basic pool and water safety rules, such as never swimming without an adult present.—
Chaunie Brusie,
Parents,
6 June 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Poising.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poising. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
