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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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
  • September is a traditionally bad month for the major stock market averages, and analysts are bracing for additional volatility ahead of the midterm elections in just nine weeks.
    — Tobias Burns, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Officials say Texas is bracing for its first big storm of the season, focusing on flooding risks while crews clear dry vegetation to reduce wildfire dangers from lightning.
    — Jamie Stengle, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of bracing
Verb
  • The new system allows the drone to release supplies while hovering, drop payloads during forward flight, or land and unload cargo autonomously, eliminating the need for personnel or dedicated equipment at the receiving site.
    — Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 4 Sep. 2026
  • In March, for example, Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, which houses long-range B-52 bombers, went into lockdown after numerous unauthorized drones were spotted hovering over sensitive areas of the base.
    — Seth G. Jones, Foreign Affairs, 3 Sep. 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
  • Both boats are still floating, though their locations and ownership have changed over the years.
    — Natalie Davies, Freep.com, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Around noon Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department received a call from a local golf course patron who noticed a possible body floating downstream in the Dominguez Channel, the department said in a statement.
    — Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of floating
Verb
  • In addition to the raft of earnings, traders are readying for the start of the Federal Reserve’s annual symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, kicking off Thursday.
    — Justina Lee,Alex Harring, CNBC, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Lux Angeles is currently readying thriller Survive the Night, prison fight club drama Big Tiger, tropical island crime pic White Tide, redemption story Angel of Harlem and poker drama Aces High.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of readying
Verb
  • The tanker was sailing in the southern shipping lane close to the Omani coast, the UK Maritime Trade Operations agency said in a post on Tuesday, Asia time.
    — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Yet the language, always extraordinarily resilient, is again sailing toward new horizons in the 21st century.
    — Ilan Stavans, The Conversation, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of sailing
Verb
  • Recently, a local fisherman captured a video of dolphins swimming in the Long Island Sound off the coast of Westbrook that was shared all over social media.
    — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Whether burrowing through soil or swimming through water, they’re forced to maneuver through narrow gaps in tiny pores, rocks, roots, plants or other obstacles.
    — K. R. Prathyusha, The Conversation, 31 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.

Browse Nearby Words

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 5 Sep. 2026.

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Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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