posture

American  

[pos-cher] / ˈpɒs tʃər /

noun

1. the relative disposition of the parts of something.

2. the position of the limbs or the carriage of the body as a whole.

   poor posture; a sitting posture.

3. an affected or unnatural attitude.

   He struck a comic posture.

4. a mental or spiritual attitude.

   His ideas reveal a defensive posture.

5. one's image or policy as perceived by the public, other nations, etc..

   The company wants to develop a more aggressive marketing posture.

6. position, condition, or state, as of affairs.

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verb (used with object)

postured, posturing

1. to place in a particular posture or attitude.

2. to position, especially strategically.

   to posture troops along a border.

3. to develop a policy or stance for (oneself, a company, government, etc.).

   The White House postured itself for dealing with the fuel crisis.

4. to adopt an attitude or take an official position on (a matter).

   The company postured that the court's ruling could be interpreted as being in its favor.

verb (used without object)

postured, posturing

1. to assume a particular posture.

2. to assume affected or unnatural postures, as by bending or contorting the body.

3. to act in an affected or artificial manner, as to create a certain impression.

posture British  

/ ˈpɒstʃə /

noun

1. a position or attitude of the limbs or body

2. a characteristic manner of bearing the body; carriage

   to have good posture

3. the disposition of the parts of a visible object

4. a mental attitude or frame of mind

5. a state, situation, or condition

6. a false or affected attitude; pose

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verb

1. to assume or cause to assume a bodily position or attitude

2. (intr) to assume an affected or unnatural bodily or mental posture; pose

Related Words

See position.

Other Word Forms

• postural adjective
• posturer noun

Etymology

Origin of posture

First recorded in 1595–1605; from French, from Italian postura, from Latin positūra. See posit, -ure

Example Sentences

“We were trying to focus more on the Indo-Pacific. And we already had a pretty resilient, dispersed posture across the region.”

From The Wall Street Journal

The Emirates’ new posture is most evident in efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz—a lifeline for its energy exports, shipping business and food.

From The Wall Street Journal

The last time she had held this posture was when Jason had snuck out to hang with his friends on a school night.

From Literature

The heightened defence posture at RAF Akrotiri will inevitably stretch the UK's already strained armed forces.

From BBC

This posture likely helped them reach leaves high in trees and may have made them look larger and more intimidating to predators.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• attitude
• disposition
• feeling
• frame of mind
• mood
• outlook
• sentiment
• stance