poise

¹ American  

[poiz] / pɔɪz /

noun

1. a dignified, self-confident manner or bearing; composure; self-possession.

   to show poise in company.

   Synonyms:

   refinement, grace, polish, self-confidence

2. steadiness; stability.

   intellectual poise.

   Antonyms:

   instability

3. a state of balance or equilibrium, as from equality or equal distribution of weight; equipoise.

   Antonyms:

   imbalance, disequilibrium

4. suspense or wavering, as between rest and motion or two phases of motion.

   the poise of the tides.

5. the way of being poised, held, or carried.

6. the state or position of hovering.

   the poise of a bird in the air.

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verb (used with object)

• poises,
  present (3rd person singular)
• poised,
  past participle,  past
• poising
  present participle

1. to adjust, hold, or carry in equilibrium; balance evenly.

2. to hold supported or raised, as in position for casting, using, etc..

   to poise a spear.

3. to hold or carry in a particular manner.

   She walked, carefully poising a water jug on her head.

4. to put (a person or thing) in a state or position of readiness or preparedness: The mayor is credited with poising the city for impressive growth and development.

   He has poised himself to succeed.

   The mayor is credited with poising the city for impressive growth and development.

5. Obsolete. to weigh.

verb (used without object)

• poises,
  present (3rd person singular)
• poised,
  past participle,  past
• poising
  present participle

1. to rest in equilibrium; be balanced.

2. to hover, as a bird in the air.

poise ² American  

[pwahz] / pwɑz /

noun

Physics.

1. a centimeter-gram-second unit of viscosity, equal to the viscosity of a fluid in which a stress of one dyne per square centimeter is required to maintain a difference of velocity of one centimeter per second between two parallel planes in the fluid that lie in the direction of flow and are separated by a distance of one centimeter. P

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poise ¹ British  

/ pɔɪz /

noun

1. composure or dignity of manner

2. physical balance or assurance in movement or bearing

3. the state of being balanced or stable; equilibrium; stability

4. the position of hovering

5. suspense or indecision

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verb

1. to be or cause to be balanced or suspended

2. (tr) to hold, as in readiness

   to poise a lance

3. (tr) a rare word for weigh 1

poise ² British  

/ pɔɪz, pwɑːz /

noun

1.  P.  the cgs unit of viscosity; the viscosity of a fluid in which a tangential force of 1 dyne per square centimetre maintains a difference in velocity of 1 centimetre per second between two parallel planes 1 centimetre apart. It is equivalent to 0.1 newton second per square metre

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poise Scientific  

/ poiz,pwäz /

1. The unit of dynamic viscosity in the centimeter-gram-second system, equal to one dyne-second per square centimeter, or 0.1 pascal-seconds.

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• poising
  present
• poised
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• poise
  simple
• poises
  simple
• have poised
  perfect
• has poised
  perfect
• am poising
  progressive
• are poising
  progressive
• is poising
  progressive
• have been poising
  perfect progressive
• has been poising
  perfect progressive

Past

• poised
  simple
• had poised
  perfect
• was poising
  progressive
• were poising
  progressive
• had been poising
  perfect progressive

Future

• will poise
  simple
• will have poised
  perfect
• will be poising
  progressive
• will have been poising
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of poise¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English noun pois(e) “weight,” from Old French ( French poids ), from Late Latin pēnsum, noun use of neuter past participle of Latin pendere “to weigh”; Middle English verb poisen “to weigh,” from Old French poiser, variant, based on tonic stem, of peser, from Latin pēnsāre, frequentative of pendere

Origin of poise²

First recorded in 1910–15; from French; named after Jean Louis Marie Poiseuille (1799–1869), French physician

Explanation

If you have poise, you are cool under stress. People with poise can handle pressure without showing it. If you’re calm while singing the national anthem in front of thirty million people, you’ve got a lot of poise. This is a rare quality people admire. Another meaning is to brace yourself for something difficult, as in: when you hear about a tornado, you're poised for more bad news. You can also be poised as in "on the brink" of something. If you stand on the diving board it could be said you’re poised to take the plunge.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

poise poises poised poising

Simpson did not start, but he played with confidence and poise while leading three scoring drives, including two for touchdowns in the second half.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026

The design shows her guiding a lion, said to symbolise her poise and the strength of the British nation under her leadership.

From BBC ● Apr. 9, 2026

Navigating that kind of rupture would take poise, flexibility, and tact.

From Slate ● Apr. 6, 2026

“The confidence and her poise ... you could get in your head in moments when we’re down ... but she did all the right things and what we needed at the time.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 29, 2026

He hung up, waited a moment to make sure his poise was the way he wanted it to be, then dialed Trucho.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

Then there’s that open, teeth-exposing, wonder-filled smile that poises sheer delight on the brink of a bottomless despair, two states of feeling that somehow both negate and enhance each other.

From New York Times ● Mar. 8, 2019

Others include pacifiers with a part that poises a choking hazard to young children.

From Seattle Times ● May 6, 2016

Choosing permanent head of division poises an early quandary for John Brennan.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 28, 2013

As it poises for further immigration initiatives, U.S.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 27, 2010

The ill-made knight turned to his oldest friend, to the first person he had loved with his poises.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

Bonta and Paramount are now poised to slug it out next spring in an Oakland courtroom.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

Stocks are poised to start another busy week with modest gains despite another diplomatic setback with Iran.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

Non-tech stocks look stronger with the Dow Jones Industrial Average poised for another record.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026

With at least 248 planned data center projects and 335 in operation, Texas is poised to become a leader in data center development.

From Salon ● Aug. 3, 2026

The White House butlers who staffed the residence, mostly African American men who were our age or older, stood poised to help us with anything we needed.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

But that hasn’t slowed down the scooter-makers: Both Bird and Lime have raised hundreds of millions in venture capital funding, poising the companies to continue to expanding across the country.

From Slate ● Dec. 10, 2018

The Greeley Fire Department determined the people had carbon monoxide poising and 22 people were taken to a hospital Saturday night.

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 30, 2018

A white hedonist basking deliciously among South Sea Islanders and a sturdy Cape Codder poising his malicious harpoon over boiling seas, join incongruously in the popular impression of Herman Melville.

From Time Magazine Archive

Last week a glittering aluminum Ceres took her place on the city's skyline, poising her twinkling magnificence on top of Chicago's tallest office pylon, the new 44-story, 609 ft.

From Time Magazine Archive

There, poising her flushing, the arch-stone of the realm, he made an end.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

Related Words

• aplomb
• calmness
• confidence
• elegance
• equanimity
• grace
• self-assurance
• serenity
• tact