See Also: poised(dictionary)
poised(dictionary)

poised (oh)



[Sense: 1-3; Date: 1600-1700; Origin: poise 'to weigh, balance' (14-21 centuries), from Old French peser, from Latin pensare]
[Sense: 4; Date: 1900-2000; Origin: POISE]
[not before noun] not moving, but ready to move or do something at any moment
poised for
::She waited by the door like a small animal poised for flight.
poised on
::His finger was poised on the camera's shutter release.
poised to do sth
::He stood on the edge of the roof, poised to jump.
[not before noun] completely ready to do something or for something to happen, when it is likely to happen soon
poised to do sth
::Spain was poised to become the dominant power in Europe.
poised on the brink/edge of sth
::The economy is poised on the edge of collapse.
poised between sth and sth
to be in a position or situation in which two things have an equally strong influence
::The world stood poised between peace and war.
behaving in a calm, confident way, and able to control your feelings and reactions
::Abigail walked to the microphone, poised and confident.