catbird seat

noun

Definition of catbird seatnext
1
as in advantage
the more favorable condition or position in a competition your fluency in French should put you in the catbird seat for getting the Paris posting

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in center stage
the center of public attention in the wake of the natural disaster, this obscure bureaucrat was suddenly and unexpectedly thrust into the catbird seat

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of catbird seat The catbird seats were occupied instead by the titans of attention. — Ezra Klein, The Mercury News, 31 Jan. 2025 Carter Jensen always dreamed of sitting in the catbird seat at Kauffman Stadium. — Kansas City Star, 7 Sep. 2025 Mom, who’d just flown from Washington state to the Big Apple, fist-pumped her way to a catbird seat on Cloud 9. — Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 3 Apr. 2025 With memory giants like Samsung and SK Hynix cranking up production to keep pace with Nvidia’s Blackwell ramp, Lam is sitting in the catbird seat. — John Buckingham, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for catbird seat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for catbird seat
  1. advantage
  2. center stage
  3. edge
  4. spotlight
  5. upper hand
  6. top billing
  7. limelight
  8. attention
Noun
  • The Red Sox tacked on two insurance runs in the seventh on Abreu’s sacrifice fly and Masataka Yoshida’s RBI single for a 7-3 advantage.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
  • Good luck with that message in flyover country when the revolutionaries don’t enjoy the advantages of light-turnout primaries.
    — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
Definition of advantage
Noun
  • Right away, the engineering takes center stage, underscoring both form and function.
    — David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 27 June 2026
  • This guest lets her track pants take center stage, styling the soft hue with a pale blue button-down, oversized clutch, baseball cap, and heeled sandals.
    — Amanda Le, InStyle, 26 June 2026
Definition of center stage
Noun
  • The Detroit pizza features the style’s signature crown of crispy cheese around the edges, and a blanket of brick cheese.
    — Jenn Harris, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
  • Both the scalloped edges and adorable blue gingham print made this a top pick for me.
    — Better Homes & Gardens, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 July 2026
Definition of edge
Noun
  • The region, which returned to the global spotlight during the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, means a lot to Beccari.
    — Joelle Diderich, Footwear News, 3 July 2026
  • The last phase of Oliver’s life was marked by an unexpected emergence into the public spotlight.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 3 July 2026
Definition of spotlight
Noun
  • But Ukraine looks more and more likely to be entering the next round of negotiations with a strong upper hand.
    — Elizabeth Shackelford, Chicago Tribune, 12 June 2026
  • The first one will give one team an upper hand, but obviously can’t dictate the entire series.
    — David Troy OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 June 2026
Definition of upper hand
Noun
  • In Washington's Walla Walla Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon often gets top billing.
    — Emily Price, Forbes.com, 27 June 2026
  • And, more broadly, country-level plans that lay out investable climate projects across different countries received top billing at different forums.
    — Justin Worland, Time, 26 June 2026
Definition of top billing
Noun
  • Kristen’s husband’s life was full of glamour and limelight, whereas her life was all behind the scenes.
    — Melanie Thernstrom, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
  • Clearly, Samsung is prioritising keeping its flagship as competitively priced as possible (and perhaps trying to steal a bit of the WWDC limelight this week) despite battling rising manufacturing costs.
    — Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 13 June 2026
Definition of limelight
Noun
  • In June 2024, Kelce and Swift were at the center of worldwide attention, even though their relationship wasn’t even a year old.
    — Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 4 July 2026
  • The retro ensemble caught the attention of fans and press everywhere.
    — Morgan Evans, USA Today, 4 July 2026
Definition of attention

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catatonic
catbird seat
catbird seats
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Cite this Entry

“Catbird seat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catbird%20seat. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of catbird seat for Spanish Speakers

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