stance

American  

[stans] / stæns /

noun

• stances
  plural

1. the position or bearing of the body while standing.

   legs spread in a wide stance; the threatening stance of the bull.

2. a mental or emotional position adopted with respect to something.

   They assumed an increasingly hostile stance in their foreign policy.

3. Sports. the relative position of the feet, as in addressing a golf ball or in making a stroke.

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stance British  

/ stæns, stɑːns /

noun

1. the manner and position in which a person or animal stands

2. sport the posture assumed when about to play the ball, as in golf, cricket, etc

3. general emotional or intellectual attitude

   a leftist stance

4. a place where buses or taxis wait

5. mountaineering a place at the top of a pitch where a climber can stand and belay

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• stances
  plural

Etymology

Origin of stance

First recorded in 1525–35; from Old French estance, “(standing) position,” from Vulgar Latin stantia (unrecorded), derivative of Latin stant-, stem of stāns “standing,” present participle of stāre “to stand”; see also stand

Explanation

Your stance is your posture or the way you stand. Figuratively, if you take a stance against bullying, you are standing against it. If you take a stance on a contentious issue, it means you believe strongly about it one way or the other. If your stance is unpopular, you'll need some courage to speak your mind. The word comes from the Italian stanza which means stopping place. Your stance is something that's not likely to change. You have stopped there, your decision is made. You're done.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

stance stances

Takaichi has also accelerated a beefing up of Japan's military capabilities as its sheds its strict pacifist stance in place since the war.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

Throughout the attack, Muehl kept his arms up in a performative boxing stance and at one point referred to himself as Max Holloway, an Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter, the department said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026

Mr. Lipscomb, who had proved the telegenic potential of gambling, thought legalization of sports betting was coming and urged Mr. Silver to flip the NBA’s oppositional stance and reap “a multi-billion-dollar windfall.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

“It’s a well-run business, and then what we like is that they have taken an extremely cautious and customer-focused stance on data-center developments,” he said.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 11, 2026

Krystal threw herself into a lazy karate stance.

From "Patina" by Jason Reynolds

He had been asked about the stances of Newsom and his potential successor, Xavier Becerra, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

But there’s another reason successors like Graham often adopt their male predecessors’ stances: political expedience.

From Slate ● Jul. 24, 2026

Turk's stances have earned him sharp criticism from several governments, notably Russia and Israel.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

It is not thought Sir Grant would disagree with either of these stances.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

Now down to their tunics and knickers, they took aggressive stances.

From "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

Related Words

• attitude
• posture
• stand
• viewpoint