Adjacent Words

Poised definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

POIS'ED, pp. Balanced; made equal in weight; resting in equilibrium.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: marked by balance or equilibrium and readiness for action; "a gull in poised flight"; "George's poised hammer"
2: in full control of your faculties; "the witness remained collected throughout the cross-examination"; "perfectly poised and sure of himself"; "more self-contained and more dependable than many of the early frontiersmen"; "strong and self-possessed in the face of trouble" [syn: collected, equanimous, poised, self-collected, self-contained, self-possessed]

Merriam Webster's

adjective Date: 1616 having poise: a. marked by balance or equilibrium b. marked by easy composure of manner or bearing

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. 1 composed, self-assured. 2 (often foll. by for, or to + infin.) ready for action.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Poise Poise, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Poised, ; p. pr. & vb. n. Poising.] [OE. poisen, peisen, OF. & F. peser, to weigh, balance, OF. il peise, il poise, he weighs, F. il p[`e]se, fr. L. pensare, v. intens. fr. pendere to weigh. See Poise, n., and cf. Pensive.] [Formerly written also peise.] 1. To balance; to make of equal weight; as, to poise the scales of a balance. 2. To hold or place in equilibrium or equiponderance. Nor yet was earth suspended in the sky; Nor poised, did on her own foundation lie. --Dryden. 3. To counterpoise; to counterbalance. One scale of reason to poise another of sensuality. --Shak. To poise with solid sense a sprightly wit. --Dryden. 4. To ascertain, as by the balance; to weigh. He can not sincerely consider the strength, poise the weight, and discern the evidence. --South. 5. To weigh (down); to oppress. [Obs.] Lest leaden slumber peise me down to-morrow. --Shak.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

1. If a part of your body is poised, it is completely still but ready to move at any moment. He studied the keyboard carefully, one finger poised. ADJ 2. If someone is poised to do something, they are ready to take action at any moment. Britain was poised to fly medical staff to the country at short notice... US forces are poised for a massive air, land and sea assault. ADJ: v-link ADJ, usu ADJ to-inf, ADJ for n 3. If you are poised, you are calm, dignified, and self-controlled. Rachel appeared poised and calm. ADJ: usu v-link ADJ

Moby Thesaurus

apoise, arrogant, assured, balanced, calm, cocksure, collected, composed, confident, controlled, convinced, cool, decided, determined, dignified, easy, easygoing, equanimous, equibalanced, equilibrious, equiponderant, equiponderous, hovering, hubristic, imperturbable, levelheaded, overconfident, oversure, overweening, persuaded, placid, pompous, positive, possessed, prepared, proud, ready, reassured, recollected, reserved, secure, sedate, self-assured, self-confident, self-controlled, self-important, self-possessed, self-reliant, self-restrained, serene, staid, sure, suspended, symmetric, teetering, together, tottering, tranquil, trembling, unafraid, undoubting, unfaltering, unflappable, unhesitating, unruffled, unwavering, waiting, wavering, well-balanced, wobbling