stance
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
your public opinion or attitude toward a particular subject.
a mental or emotional attitude adopted with respect to a particular issue; often implies a formal or public positioning.
Simple“The government has taken a tough stance on environmental pollution.”
In context“The senator's firm stance on trade policy has alienated some of her traditional supporters while gaining her respect among industrial leaders.”
Usageoften used with the preposition 'on' or 'towards'
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
the way you hold your body when standing, especially in a sport.
the physical position or posture of the body, particularly one assumed for a specific activity like combat or athletics.
Simple“The coach told the batter to widen his stance to improve his balance.”
In context“The martial arts instructor corrected the student's stance, emphasizing that a stable base was essential for both defense and counter-attacks.”
- 03 C2 Proficiency
a specific place where buses or taxis wait for passengers.
a designated station or rank for public transport vehicles to await passengers.
Simple“We waited at the bus stance for the express coach to arrive.”
In context“The city council recently renovated the central bus stance to include sheltered seating and real-time digital arrival displays.”
Usageprimarily used in Scotland
“Kennedy’s book attacked Fauci for his stance toward hydroxychloroquine.”
“He also mentioned Seoul’s stance on the US-Israel war on Iran.”
From Middle English staunce (“place to stand; battle station; position; standing in society; circumstance, situation; stanchion”), from Old French estance (“predicament; situation; sojourn, stay”) (compare modern French stance (“stanza; position one stands in when golfing”)), from Italian stanza (“room, standing place; stanza”), from Vulgar Latin stantia, from Latin stō (“to stand; to remain, stay”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European steh₂- (“to stand (up)”). The word is cognate with Spanish estante (“shelf”) and a doublet of stanza. The verb is derived from the noun. Compare typologically Czech postoj (“stance (the way of holding a body); stance (point of view)”) (cognate via PIE). Also see position, posture.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.