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
  • Moderna has been looking for growth beyond its COVID-19 shot while Merck is bracing for the looming patent loss for Keytruda, its blockbuster therapy, later this decade.
    — Reuters, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Bleacherites were bracing for the descending ball as a souvenir when the wind blew the ball back into the field of play, where Billy Williams caught it for the out.
    — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of bracing
Verb
  • The small plane struck the tail of the hovering helicopter, killing the Cessna pilot and sending both aircraft to the ground in pieces.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The helicopter crew was conducting routine training and was hovering several feet above a grassy area adjacent to a runway when the crash happened.
    — Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 20 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
  • The Mexican navy searched a vast area of the Pacific Ocean by sea and air, eventually finding the two men floating in a large fishing cooler about 150 miles off the coast of Chiapas, a southern state in Mexico that borders Guatemala.
    — Diego Mendoza, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The Port of Los Angeles forklift driver was wearing a life vest and was floating away, out to sea -- cold, worried about sharks and drowning.
    — Michele Gile, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of floating
Verb
  • The zoo’s veterinary team collaborated with cancer specialists at nearby University of Liverpool to adapt an emerging treatment called electrochemotherapy, readying it for first-time use in a snake.
    — Charlotte Reck, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
  • On Tuesday, OpenAI executives said the industry would need a more expansive strategy for readying itself for future models.
    — Deepa Seetharaman, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of readying
Verb
  • Off property, the hotel can connect guests with surf lessons, sailing on Jamaica Bay, paddleboarding, and sailing excursions.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The ship was sailing from Lerwick in Shetland to Dundee at the time.
    — Nathan Diller, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of sailing
Verb
  • The Louisiana Department of Health announced last week a resident had likely contracted the organism, known as Naegleria fowleri, while swimming in Lake Claiborne which is about 30 miles northwest of Ruston.
    — Diego Mendoza, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Lillian Smart, an 8-year-old girl who health officials believe contracted a brain-eating amoeba while swimming in a northern Louisiana lake, died Saturday at a Ruston hospital from an infection linked to the pathogen.
    — Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 24 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 26 Aug. 2026.

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