stance

noun

ˈstan(t)s 

1

chiefly Scotland

a

: station

b

: site

2

a

: a way of standing or being placed : posture

b

: intellectual or emotional attitude

took an antiwar stance

3

a

: the position of the feet of a golfer or batter preparatory to making a swing

b

: the position of both body and feet from which an athlete starts or operates

Synonyms of stance

• posture
• attitude

Examples of stance in a Sentence

a slightly aggressive stance

Recent Examples on the Web

After the Clippers were eliminated in the Play-In Tournament last month, Frank reiterated the organization’s stance, while looking ahead to the possibility of the lottery turning out a good fortune. —Law Murray, New York Times, 11 May 2026

Sal Rodriguez, the opinion editor for the Southern California News Group’s 11 newspapers, heads the editorial board and guides our stances on public policy and political matters. —Teagan Davidge, Oc Register, 10 May 2026

The dimensions of La Pausa suggested a smaller scale of events than the now-customary splashy destination displays of other brands, and Grangié has turned this into a stance. —Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 10 May 2026

The Vatican has recently renewed its opposition to any local efforts to deviate from the Holy See stance. —ABC News, 9 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English stance, staunce, from Middle French estance position, posture, stay, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *stantia, from Latin stant-, stans, present participle of stare to stand

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing stance

• closed stance
• open stance

Rhymes for stance

• chance
• dance
• glance
• hance
• hanse
• lance
• manse
• prance
• trance
• advance
• askance
• enhance

Kids Definition

stance

noun

ˈstan(t)s 

1

: a way of standing or being placed : posture

a soldier with an erect stance

2

: a way of thinking or feeling

took an opposing stance on the issue