stance
Americannoun
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stances
plural
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the position or bearing of the body while standing.
legs spread in a wide stance; the threatening stance of the bull.
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a mental or emotional position adopted with respect to something.
They assumed an increasingly hostile stance in their foreign policy.
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Sports. the relative position of the feet, as in addressing a golf ball or in making a stroke.
noun
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the manner and position in which a person or animal stands
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sport the posture assumed when about to play the ball, as in golf, cricket, etc
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general emotional or intellectual attitude
a leftist stance
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a place where buses or taxis wait
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mountaineering a place at the top of a pitch where a climber can stand and belay
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing stance
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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The SAT: Language of the Test, List 6
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The Language of Standardized Tests, List 4
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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.
See Examples For:
Earlier this week, Kim Hong-joon, leader of the popular boyband Ateez, said he had been impressed by BTS's stance.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
He chaired the Securities and Exchange Commission during Trump's first term, where he largely took a pro-business stance but brought enforcement cases against the nascent crypto industry.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
In a Friday post on X, Pope Leo took a definitive stance separating human capabilities from those of AI.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026
He disagreed with the stance of environmental groups that imposing more drastic water cutbacks is the answer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Krystal threw herself into a lazy karate stance.
From "Patina" by Jason Reynolds
Yet they took unambiguous stances in favor of Macklemore’s Palestinian advocacy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
He saw no contradiction between those stances and publicly made the case for both.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
Hong has since backpedaled on some of those stances.
From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2026
Kettner has remained bullish on stocks since 2023, as other rival Wall Street analysts have taken more cautious stances.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 2026
Baptist and C.M.E. churches went down front and assumed stances a few feet apart.
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
Definitions 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.
