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

Sarah Ferguson, his ex-wife, has also been mentioned in the Epstein files, and his daughters, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice, haven’t really taken a firm public stance to distance themselves from their parents. —Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 31 May 2026

Barbara Warden, who represented District 5 in the 1990s as a Republican, said von Wilpert’s stance on public safety reflects the area’s more conservative bent. —Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 May 2026

The Giants wanted to showcase there was no animosity in the locker room, but both Dart and Carter held their ground on their stance. —Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 30 May 2026

Though some denominations have stricter stances on AI, none are monolithic in their approaches. —Greta Cross, USA Today, 29 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