poised

poised
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 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.
2.) [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.
3.) 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.
4.) behaving in a calm, confident way, and able to control your feelings and reactions
▪ Abigail walked to the microphone, poised and confident.

Dictionary of contemporary English. 2013.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • 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 — 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… …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • 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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