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
-
Polk left the game bracing his right arm and has been sidelined since.—
Paulina Dedaj,
FOXNews.com,
23 Aug. 2025 -
With two major refinery closures looming, the entire state is bracing for a substantial reduction in critical refining capacity.—
Jeffrey Ball,
Oc Register,
23 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Given that the average credit card APR is hovering above 21% right now, even modest balances can become expensive to carry over time.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
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Photos from the incident showed dozens of rescuers hovering over the narrow hole, which was roughly five feet wide, while lowering a ladder down to the man.—
Desiree Anello,
PEOPLE,
15 June 2026
Verb
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Supportive leadership includes recognizing the power of place and fortifying it with the tools, trust, and care needed for excellence to grow and thrive.—
Chip Bell,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
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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
Verb
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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
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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
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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
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Brussels is readying a package of measures to protect EU markets.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
9 June 2026
Verb
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The supertanker was seen sailing under the flag of Guyana, according to the BBC.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
11 Dec. 2025
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The ship is 20 years old, initially sailing under the name The Toyo in 2005.—
Jennifer Jacobs,
CBS News,
10 Dec. 2025
Verb
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In April, Stephen Woods’ son-in-law, Ryan Jennings, was swimming with his two oldest children while on a family vacation in Florida when a rip current dragged them out.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
14 June 2026
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In the demo, I was treated to a cutscene of my character breaking their handcuffs and swimming ashore to the town of Ashenridge.—
Jacqueline Goldblatt,
PC Magazine,
13 June 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Poising.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/poising. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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