poised
Americanadjective
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(of a person) composed, dignified, and self-assured.
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being in balance or equilibrium.
a ball poised on the nose of a seal.
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teetering or wavering.
to be poised on the brink of disaster.
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hovering or suspended in or as in midair.
a bird poised in flight; a helicopter poised overhead.
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readied or prepared to do something or for something to happen.
a singer poised to make sales history with a new album.
adjective
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self-possessed; dignified; exhibiting composure
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balanced and prepared for action
a skier poised at the top of the slope
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of poised
Explanation
If you're poised you're self-possessed and in full control of your faculties. You're balanced, grounded, and ready for action. A poised person exhibits composure and self-assuredness, which comes in handy, for instance, during a job interview, giving a public talk or debate, or playing sports. Watching the Olympics, you may wonder how gymnasts remain so poised when competing on the balance beam, considered the sport's most mentally and physically challenging event. Poised also means ready or on the verge: You can be poised for a leadership position, poised for battle, or poised to become music's next pop star.
Vocabulary lists containing poised
The Giver
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"Of Mice and Men"
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"A Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As for Arm itself, Haas says the company posted a record second quarter and is poised to exit the year with a 60% market share in the data-center market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Fin Baxter, who only made two appearances since a comeback from a 10-month foot-injury lay-off, is the starting loose-head prop, with Ellis Genge poised on the bench alongside Will Stuart, another welcome front-row returnee.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
As of this week, they’re poised to control nearly twice that number.
From Slate ● Nov. 6, 2026
Reports that the Walt Disney Company is poised to lay off thousands of workers didn’t seem to move the needle for its languishing stock on Tuesday.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026
Churning up sand, he raced to where the curious puppy was poised to paw at the jellyfish.
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
