How to Use poise in a Sentence

poise

1 of 2 verb
  • She poised her pencil above the paper and waited for the signal to begin writing.
  • Are they poised to do it again?
    Evan Grant, Dallas Morning News, 23 Mar. 2026
  • Their efforts seem poised to pay off.
    Maxine Joselow Shaila Dewan Lynsey Addario Katherine Rosman, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2026
  • Now those concerns are poised to rise anew.
    Brian Steinberg, Variety, 17 Mar. 2026
  • Mitchell’s more daring, more poised.
    Joel Lorenzi, New York Times, 7 May 2026
  • Could sharks, long feared, be poised for an image makeover?
    Dana Taylor, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Such dynamics may be poised to come to an end.
    Brian Steinberg, Variety, 17 Sep. 2025
  • Israel has been poised for this moment for months.
    Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 2 Mar. 2026
  • In some key states, the party is poised to make the pivot.
    Philip Elliott, Time, 21 Oct. 2025
  • However, this year is poised to break that record.
    Elena Moore, NPR, 4 Mar. 2026
  • For much of the game Canada was faster, smarter and more poised.
    Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2026
  • His wines are light, lifted and finely poised.
    Paul Caputo, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026
  • But no single unit is poised for more of an overhaul than the bullpen.
    Peter Chawaga, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
  • Some of those districts are poised to hit the easy button and get it wrong.
    Krista Spurgin, Denver Post, 29 Apr. 2026
  • He’s poised for a breakout campaign.
    Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 11 June 2026
  • Prince George is poised to have a big year in 2026.
    Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 28 Jan. 2026
  • Many states are poised to fund their own EV tax credits.
    Hughey Newsome, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025
  • The Heat will be poised to pounce if the right player falls through the cracks.
    Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 29 June 2026
  • Now Ramos is poised to end another dry spell.
    Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2026
  • If the war goes pear-shaped, they will be poised to steer the party’s future.
    Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
  • Or is there a Cinderella team poised to shock the world?
    Greg Cote june 10, Miami Herald, 10 June 2026
  • There was a time, about five years ago, when the market appeared poised to break through.
    Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 1 May 2026
  • John Green is poised to reenter the fiction world.
    Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026
  • The Fall Classic was poised to be a great matchup from the start.
    Valentina Martinez, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
  • Sacramento State is ready and poised for this next step.
    Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 17 Feb. 2026
  • Machado had been poised to challenge him at the ballot box.
    Barney Henderson, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
  • WashU appears poised to enter that next phase.
    Dr. Liz Doe Stone, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
  • As both sides expand their use of these weapons, glide bombs are poised to shape the next phase of the war.
    Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • The whole band is now poised not just to move, but to catapult forward.
    Dana Kozlov, CBS News, 4 Feb. 2026
  • Powell said he is poised for the challenge the second time around.
    Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 13 Feb. 2026

poise

2 of 2 noun
  • His poise with the puck is a great strength.
    Josh Yohe, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
  • Such poise was not easy to sustain.
    Peter Slevin, New Yorker, 4 May 2026
  • Reid is a righty with poise beyond his years.
    Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 3 June 2026
  • Reid is a righty with poise beyond his years.
    Scott Wheeler, New York Times, 4 May 2026
  • Plays with poise, has good arm talent.
    Antonio Morales, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
  • Own your needs with poise and kindness.
    Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 1 Apr. 2026
  • In short, the Jaguars played with a lack of poise across the board.
    Creg Stephenson | [email protected], al, 3 Sep. 2023
  • Sancho’s poise then set the tone for what was to follow.
    Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
  • Brace yourself for a test of patience, poise and pride!
    Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025
  • Castle played with poise beyond his age.
    C.j. Holmes, New York Daily News, 9 June 2026
  • But the Lions kept their poise — and sank their free throws down the stretch.
    Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 15 Mar. 2026
  • Hard over on the wheel and the Midi digs in and carves the turn with poise.
    Howard Walker, Robb Report, 21 July 2023
  • That poise stretches beyond the course.
    Zach Sweet, Kansas City Star, 9 Sep. 2025
  • The outing wasn’t free of some jams, but Wright worked out of them with poise.
    Tom Mulherin, Boston Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
  • The poise is gone, and there’s a kind of fun camaraderie with his costars in its place.
    EW.com, 18 Feb. 2024
  • One big talking point all season has been Daniels’ poise.
    Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 5 Oct. 2025
  • Katharine Hepburn found in as a way to dress with poise and freedom.
    Alex Sales, Glamour, 12 Apr. 2026
  • The Stars take great pride in their composure, their poise.
    Mark Lazerus, New York Times, 1 May 2026
  • The poise, the quick decisions.
    Troy Renck, Denver Post, 14 Aug. 2025
  • Barnes stood with dancerly poise in a crisp white shirt, a black tie, and cushy black sneakers.
    Naaman Zhou, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
  • Still, this chapter of your life may require more honesty than poise.
    Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 21 June 2026
  • The Bruins had the poise to make their free throws in the face of jeering fans.
    Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 31 Jan. 2026
  • Pope Francis handled it with poise.
    Tom Mulherin, Boston Herald, 8 Mar. 2026
  • The 28-year-old showed a lot of poise and technical skills in this matchup.
    Trent Reinsmith, Forbes, 18 Feb. 2024
  • Because the nerves were already ravaging his poise.
    Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 13 Feb. 2026
  • His reads, his poise, his confidence, timely saves.
    Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 22 Mar. 2026
  • But Missouri came out with fire and poise to open up the second stanza.
    Jaden Lewis, Kansas City Star, 27 Jan. 2024
  • Maybe the poise of greatness by consensus opinion cannot be faked.
    A.a. Dowd, Chron, 14 Oct. 2022
  • Dent runs the offense with striking poise for a sophomore in his first season as the starter.
    Ron Kroichick, San Francisco Chronicle, 26 Feb. 2026
  • Bachmeier played more like a redshirt senior with his poise and patience.
    Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Nov. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'poise.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Last Updated: