poise

noun

/pɔɪz/

[uncountable]

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a calm and confident manner with control of your feelings or behaviour
- His performance was full of maturity and poise.
- She seemed embarrassed for a moment but quickly recovered her poise.
Extra Examples
- She never lost her social poise, however awkward the situation.
- He struggled to retain his poise.
Topics Personal qualitiesc2
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- natural
- social
- extraordinary
- …
verb + poise
- retain
- show
- lose
- …
See full entry
the ability to move or stand in an attractive way with good control of your body
- the natural poise and balance of the body
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- natural
- social
- extraordinary
- …
verb + poise
- retain
- show
- lose
- …
See full entry

Word Originlate Middle English (in the sense ‘weight’): from Old French pois, peis (noun), peser (verb), from an alteration of Latin pensum ‘weight’, from the verb pendere ‘weigh’. From the early senses of ‘weight’ and ‘measure of weight’ arose the sense of ‘equal weight, balance’, leading to the extended senses ‘composure’ and ‘elegant bearing’.

poise

verb

/pɔɪz/

[intransitive, transitive]

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they poise	/pɔɪz/ /pɔɪz/
he / she / it poises	/ˈpɔɪzɪz/ /ˈpɔɪzɪz/
past simple poised	/pɔɪzd/ /pɔɪzd/
past participle poised	/pɔɪzd/ /pɔɪzd/
-ing form poising	/ˈpɔɪzɪŋ/ /ˈpɔɪzɪŋ/

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to be or hold something steady in a particular position, especially above something else
- + adv./prep. The hawk poised in mid-air ready to swoop.
- poise something/yourself to do something He was poising himself to launch a final attack.
- poise something/yourself + adv./prep. She poised the javelin in her hand before the throw.
Word Originlate Middle English (in the sense ‘weight’): from Old French pois, peis (noun), peser (verb), from an alteration of Latin pensum ‘weight’, from the verb pendere ‘weigh’. From the early senses of ‘weight’ and ‘measure of weight’ arose the sense of ‘equal weight, balance’, leading to the extended senses ‘composure’ and ‘elegant bearing’.