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 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 The catbird seats were occupied instead by the titans of attention. — Ezra Klein, The Mercury News, 31 Jan. 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
  • Though 57% of voters say the Democratic Party does not have a clear vision for the future, Republicans hold no advantage in this category either, according to a CBS News poll released on Sunday.
    — Carter Schroppe, The Washington Examiner, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Joe Burrow gives the Bengals the quarterback advantage, and the extra preparation strengthens their case.
    — Dan Zaksheske OutKick, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of advantage
Noun
  • Hot Topic is taking band tees off the wall and bringing them center stage.
    — Alicia Urrea, Billboard, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The 31st edition drew its biggest audiences since 2015 while the row over ‘The Assassin(s)’ and Majid Majidi’s war speech put politics center stage.
    — Ophélie Surcouf, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of center stage
Noun
  • Sequenced at the center of a three-track medley, its death-dream logic deliberately evokes the SMiLE era’s dark, confusing edge.
    — Ryan Meehan, Pitchfork, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Wear one in beige or white to add a bit of brightness to your look, or black for some edge.
    — Michel Mejía, Glamour, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of edge
Noun
  • At last, Harrison Butker has a reprieve from the widening public spotlight — but only because its glow is shining instead on a kicker more unsettling than the one enduring a slump.
    — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Piker’s popularity among young left-leaning voters has propelled him beyond the internet and into the national spotlight as a prominent voice on the American left.
    — Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of spotlight
Noun
  • Some prediction markets are also giving Raman a slight upper hand, but at least one of those same sites showed Pratt advancing to the runoff over Raman in the lead-up to June’s primary.
    — Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 26 Oct. 2026
  • With the Broncos holding a 2-1 record and the Chargers sitting at 0-3, the winner of this weekend’s game in Las Vegas will gain an upper hand in the AFC West.
    — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of upper hand
Noun
  • Sharing top billing is Cézanne’s Tasse, verre et fruits, a still life painted around 1877 that features apples, a cup, and a glass arranged on a tabletop.
    — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 26 Oct. 2026
  • The chicken wings, tenders and sandwiches get top billing here.
    — Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of top billing
Noun
  • Chris Evans and his wife Alba Baptista, 29, can count themselves among Hollywood’s most limelight-shy couples.
    — Lara Walsh, InStyle, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Yet somehow, the 469 square miles of New York City tend to hog all the limelight.
    — Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of limelight
Noun
  • Its fictional characters secretly controlled small workplace decisions without attracting attention.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 31 Oct. 2026
  • Our server was effusive in her congratulations and attention, especially to my husband’s nut aversion.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Oct. 2026
Definition of attention

Browse Nearby Words

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 31 Oct. 2026.

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