ENGLISH
REFERENCE

stance

n. countable
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford US //ˈstæns// UK //stˈɑːns// stance Archaic General-service

n. your public opinion or attitude toward a specific topic. It can also mean the way you stand or hold your body.

n. a mental or emotional attitude adopted with respect to a particular issue; alternatively, the physical positioning of the body, especially when performing a specific action.


SIMPLE

The government took a firm stance against the new tax.

CONTEXTUAL

The candidate's stance on environmental protection helped her win the support of younger voters.

COMPLEX

The diplomat maintained a neutral stance throughout the negotiations, refusing to align with either faction until a formal agreement was drafted.

Synonyms
Origin

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.

Usage

Often used with the prepositions 'on' or 'towards' when referring to an opinion.

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