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• pose
  pose

  verb (used without object)

  to assume a particular attitude or stance, especially with the hope of impressing others.
• posé
  posé

  noun

  a movement in which the dancer steps, in any desired position, from one foot to the other with a straight knee onto the flat foot, demi-pointe, or pointe.

pose

¹ American  

[pohz] / poʊz /

verb (used without object)

posed, posing

1. to assume a particular attitude or stance, especially with the hope of impressing others.

   He likes to pose as an authority on literature.

2. to present oneself insincerely.

   He seems to be posing in all his behavior.

3. to assume or hold a physical attitude, as for an artistic purpose.

   to pose for a painter.

   Synonyms:

   model, sit

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verb (used with object)

posed, posing

1. to place in a suitable position or attitude for a picture, tableau, or the like.

   to pose a group for a photograph.

2. to assert, state, or put forward.

   That poses a difficult problem.

3. to put or place.

noun

• poses
  plural

1. a bodily attitude or posture.

   Her pose had a note of defiance in it.

2. a mental attitude or posture.

   a pose cultivated by the upper classes.

3. the act or period of posing, as for a picture.

4. a position or attitude assumed in posing, or exhibited by a figure in a picture, sculptural work, tableau, or the like.

5. a moment in which a dancer remains motionless, usually in an assumed posture.

6. a studied attitude; affectation.

   His liberalism is merely a pose.

pose ² American  

[pohz] / poʊz /

verb (used with object)

posed, posing

1. Archaic. to perplex or baffle, as by a difficult question or problem.

2. Obsolete. to examine by putting questions.

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posé ³ American  

[poh-zay, paw-zay] / poʊˈzeɪ, pɔˈzeɪ /

noun

Ballet.

• posés
  plural

1. a movement in which the dancer steps, in any desired position, from one foot to the other with a straight knee onto the flat foot, demi-pointe, or pointe.

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pose ¹ British  

/ pəʊz /

verb

1. to assume or cause to assume a physical attitude, as for a photograph or painting

2. to pretend to be or present oneself (as something one is not)

3. (intr) to affect an attitude or play a part in order to impress others

4. (tr) to put forward, ask, or assert

   to pose a question

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noun

1. a physical attitude, esp one deliberately adopted for or represented by an artist or photographer

2. a mode of behaviour that is adopted for effect

pose ² British  

/ pəʊz /

verb

1. rare to puzzle or baffle

2. archaic to question closely

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Usage

What is the basic definition of pose? Pose means to position your body in a particular way for a painting, picture, or similar situation. Pose also means the particular positioning you assume as part of posing. To pose also means to state or assert something. Pose has several other senses as a verb and a noun. When people pose, they arrange their body and face in a certain position for some reason. For example, people often pose for pictures by making a peace sign with their hand or blowing a kiss to the camera. Before cameras were invented, politicians and other important people would pose for portraits, which often involved remaining completely still for hours at a time. A person who poses is called a poser.

• Real-life examples: Supermodels will pose when they reach the end of a catwalk. People often pose in selfies that they then post on social media. It is thought that the woman who posed for Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa was Lisa Gherardini del Giocondo.
• Used in a sentence: My family posed for a picture to use on a Christmas card. 

In this same sense, pose means a specific arrangement of the body and face that a person assumes for some reason.

• Real-life examples: Yoga involves positioning your body in a variety of poses. Many dance routines involve performing a variety of poses. Your mom likely wants you to have a nice pose for your school picture.
• Used in a sentence: The painting depicted the king in a very powerful pose.

As a verb, pose can also mean to assert, state, or put forward.

• Real-life examples: Reporters pose questions to people they are interviewing. An active volcano often poses problems to people who live nearby. A new job often poses many new challenges that a person must overcome.
• Used in a sentence: Pollution poses a threat to a healthy environment. 

Synonym Usage

See position.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• posable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• poses
  plural
• posés
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of pose¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English verb posen, from Middle French poser, from Late Latin pausāre “to stop, cease, rest,” derivative of Latin pausa “stop, cessation” ( see pause); French poser has taken over the basic sense of Latin pōnere “to put, place” and represents it in French borrowings of its prefixed derivatives ( see compose, depose, etc.)

Origin of pose²

First recorded in 1520–30; shortening of obsolete appose, variant of oppose, used in sense of Latin appōnere “to put to”

Origin of posé³

First recorded in 1925–30; from French: “poised,” past participle of poser “to pose”; see pose ¹

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Explanation

To pose is to assume a particular stance. Like a runway model strutting to the end of the catwalk, posing with her hands on her hips, and then gracefully walking back. The original meaning of pose from the 14th century is "to put in a certain position." The sense of pose as "to assume a certain attitude" emerged in the 1850’s. When a person poses, he presents himself in a particular way, often with the hope of impressing others. But if you're just posing objects, then the word loses the negative connotation.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pose posé poses posed posing

But the discussion over the technology's environmental impact -- along with fears that it could pose an existential threat to humanity -- has overshadowed its potential as a tool to combat climate change.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

This September, the department ordered the building’s owner to “immediately remove all fired damaged debris that pose a Present, immenent, extreme and immediate hazard or danger to life or limb, health or safety.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

Rising long-term interest rates pose risks to the current bull market since they pressure stock valuation, raise borrowing costs for corporations and increase competition for investor money.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 11, 2026

Mr. Korman doesn’t believe AI agents acting on their own pose a danger of causing death on a massive scale.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

“Hey, I like that,” she’d replied, faking a runway pose.

From "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper

He says Philippe, the coiffeur, has never left him, that it won't be his fault if my diadem is not perfectly posé, and that he plied him with beer all along the route.

From Letters of a Diplomat's Wife 1883-1900 by Mary King Waddington

If it be a question of mere pabulum, it is altogether mal posé.

From Life: Its True Genesis by R. W. Wright

No social posé has yet been attained; and each is too much absorbed in making good his general claims to consideration, to have leisure for the calmer enjoyments that might be snatched during the contest.

From The International Monthly, Volume 4, No. 1, August, 1851 by Various

We have heard him say: "No, I will not claim the hat in that photograph, though I made it, because it is mal posé."

From Woman as Decoration by Emily Burbank

But leaders of OpenAI and Anthropic have warned that the technology’s fast development poses serious risks to jobs and human existence.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

All of it boils down to simple questions Gibney poses at the film’s outset: How could Musk assume so much power, and why have we given it to him?

From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026

That could be a win for consumers and the tech companies behind the agents, but it poses challenges for many e-commerce players caught in the middle.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Sir Ken said AI poses unknown threats, telling Thames House: "Put at its simplest, human history has given us no experience of facing an actor which is smarter than we are".

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

It’s going to take a while for the photographer to take five poses with different backgrounds.

From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina

Chores like folding laundry posed a bigger challenge.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

“We see the energy crisis taking hold and we see the challenges posed by artificial intelligence and our own development.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

Seated across from me, in her pearls and charcoal pantsuit, is Neera Tanden—one of the most accomplished political agents in America, and someone to whom I have just posed a deeply offensive question.

From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026

Anthropic researchers continue to publicize new safety risks posed by artificial-intelligence models ahead of the company’s highly anticipated IPO.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026

Thomas Jefferson expressed this attitude in his Notes on the State of Virginia, a series of answers to questions about American life posed by a Frenchman.

From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis

In this moment, Fielder conjures a world of empathy for his subject, again posing questions about what gets lost between two people who believe they’re being perfectly clear, yet aren’t making sense to one another.

From Salon ● Oct. 17, 2026

But spend enough time online and you’ll realize that the facade of cozy nights in and days quietly posing for photos lit by never-ceasing natural light is just that.

From Slate ● Oct. 11, 2026

During droughts, algae blooms have turned waterways bright green, posing health threats for people and animals.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026

For a railway company proud of its record for punctuality, this year's disrupted schedule is posing a major challenge.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

She turns her phone around to show me an Instagram picture of a group of people wearing bathing suits, and sunglasses, and hats, posing happily on a sandy beach.

From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott

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