poise

/pɔɪz/

/pɔɪz/

Other forms: poised; poising; poises

If you have poise, you are cool under stress. People with poise can handle pressure without showing it.

If you’re calm while singing the national anthem in front of thirty million people, you’ve got a lot of poise. This is a rare quality people admire. Another meaning is to brace yourself for something difficult, as in: when you hear about a tornado, you're poised for more bad news. You can also be poised as in "on the brink" of something. If you stand on the diving board it could be said you’re poised to take the plunge.

Definitions of poise

1. verb

   hold or carry in equilibrium
   synonyms: balance

   balance, equilibrate, equilibrise, equilibrize

   bring into balance or equilibrium

   types:

   juggle

   hold with difficulty and balance insecurely

   type of:

   bear, carry, hold

   support or hold in a certain manner
2. verb

   cause to be balanced or suspended
   type of:

   lay, place, pose, position, put, set

   put into a certain place or abstract location
3. verb

   be motionless, in suspension
   “The bird poised for a few moments before it attacked”

   type of:

   hover

   hang in the air; fly or be suspended above
4. verb

   prepare (oneself) for something unpleasant or difficult
   synonyms: brace

   types:

   nerve, steel

   get ready for something difficult or unpleasant

   type of:

   fix, gear up, prepare, ready, set, set up

   make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc
5. noun

   a state of being balanced in a stable equilibrium
   type of:

   equilibrium

   a stable situation in which forces cancel one another
6. noun

   great coolness and composure under strain
   synonyms: aplomb, assuredness, cool, sang-froid

   type of:

   calm, calmness, composure, equanimity

   steadiness of mind under stress
7. noun

   a cgs unit of dynamic viscosity equal to one dyne-second per square centimeter; the viscosity of a fluid in which a force of one dyne per square centimeter maintains a velocity of 1 centimeter per second
   type of:

   unit of viscosity

   a unit of measurement for viscosity