poised

poised
adjective
1 (not before noun) not moving but ready to move or do something at any moment
(+ for/on etc): She saw Matthew poised on the board for a swift, controlled racing dive. | poised to do sth: He was waiting with the door open, poised to jump, as the train pulled into the station.
2 (not before noun) completely ready to do or achieve something, and about to do it: poised to do sth: At this point, Spain was poised to become the dominant power in Europe.
3 (not before noun) not moving and seeming to hang in the air
(+ over/above etc): Noriko was holding her chopsticks poised in the air, as though waiting for me to say something. | Stanley's hand remained poised over the open box as the footsteps came closer.
4 (not before noun) in a position in which two things have an equally strong influence
(+ between): The tone of the book is poised between comedy and moral seriousness.
5 behaving in a calm, confident way, and able to control your feelings and reactions: Abbey walked to the microphone, poised and smiling.

Longman dictionary of contemporary English. 2004.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • poised — [pɔızd] adj [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] 1.) [not before noun] not moving, but ready to move or do something …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • poised — [ pɔızd ] adjective 1. ) about to do or achieve something after preparing for it: The Rockets appear poised for victory in the championship game. Japan was poised to become the biggest foreign investor in Vietnam. a ) waiting in a position where… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • poised — UK US /pɔɪzd/ adjective ► [after verb] ready to do a particular thing at any moment: poised to do sth »The public pension fund is poised to invest up to $1.5 billion over the next year. »The City is poised for a major announcement on the airline… …   Financial and business terms

  • poised — poised; un·poised; …   English syllables

  • poised — [poizd] adj. 1. composed; calm; self assured 2. balanced 3. suspended, as in motion; readied [an opponent poised to strike] …   English World dictionary

  • poised — adj. VERBS ▪ appear, be, look, seem, stand ▪ She stood poised for a moment. ▪ remain ADVERB …   Collocations dictionary

  • poised — [[t]pɔ͟ɪzd[/t]] 1) ADJ 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. 2) ADJ: v link ADJ, usu ADJ to inf, ADJ for n If someone is poised to do… …   English dictionary

  • poised — UK [pɔɪzd] / US adjective 1) a) about to do or achieve something after preparing for it Liverpool appear poised for victory in the championship match. Japan was poised to become the biggest foreign investor in Vietnam. b) waiting in a position… …   English dictionary

  • poised — /poyzd/, adj. 1. (of a person) composed, dignified, and self assured. 2. being in balance or equilibrium: a balloon poised on the nose of a seal. 3. teetering or wavering: to be poised on the brink of disaster. 4. hovering or suspended in or as… …   Universalium

  • Poised — 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.,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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