posture
Americannoun
-
postures
plural
-
the relative disposition of the parts of something.
-
the position of the limbs or the carriage of the body as a whole.
poor posture; a sitting posture.
-
an affected or unnatural attitude.
He struck a comic posture.
-
a mental or spiritual attitude.
His ideas reveal a defensive posture.
-
one's image or policy as perceived by the public, other nations, etc..
The company wants to develop a more aggressive marketing posture.
-
position, condition, or state, as of affairs.
verb (used with object)
-
postures,
present (3rd person singular)
-
postured,
past participle, past
-
posturing
present participle
-
to place in a particular posture or attitude.
-
to position, especially strategically.
to posture troops along a border.
-
to develop a policy or stance for (oneself, a company, government, etc.).
The White House postured itself for dealing with the fuel crisis.
-
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)
-
postures,
present (3rd person singular)
-
postured,
past participle, past
-
posturing
present participle
-
to assume a particular posture.
-
to assume affected or unnatural postures, as by bending or contorting the body.
-
to act in an affected or artificial manner, as to create a certain impression.
noun
-
a position or attitude of the limbs or body
-
a characteristic manner of bearing the body; carriage
to have good posture
-
the disposition of the parts of a visible object
-
a mental attitude or frame of mind
-
a state, situation, or condition
-
a false or affected attitude; pose
verb
-
to assume or cause to assume a bodily position or attitude
-
(intr) to assume an affected or unnatural bodily or mental posture; pose
Synonym Usage
See position.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
posturesimple
-
posturessimple
-
have posturedperfect
-
has posturedperfect
-
am posturingprogressive
-
are posturingprogressive
-
is posturingprogressive
-
have been posturingperfect progressive
-
has been posturingperfect progressive
Past
-
posturedsimple
-
had posturedperfect
-
was posturingprogressive
-
were posturingprogressive
-
had been posturingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of posture
First recorded in 1595–1605; from French, from Italian postura, from Latin positūra. See posit, -ure
Explanation
Posture is the way you position your body or arrange your limbs. So stand up straight, put your shoulders back, and lift that chin up. Ballerinas have an elegant, graceful posture, and soldiers tend to display a rigid, strong posture. If you sit hunched over your desk every day you'll end up with terrible posture. This noun describes the way you carry yourself, but can also describe a certain body position you take, like the different postures in yoga. If you're accused of posturing though, that's a different story — that means you're behaving unnaturally to impress someone.
Vocabulary lists containing posture
Talk Like Shakespeare Day, List 1
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"Civil Disobedience," Vocabulary from the essay
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare, Act V
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The new posture is necessary because the consumer-driven, fast-moving weight-loss market is unlike the insulin market, which is where the Danish giant made its name, he explained.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Under the South Korea-US combined defence posture "our military is maintaining the capability and readiness to respond overwhelmingly to any provocation", Seoul's JCS said Thursday.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
But as excitement over his campaign began to mount among progressives on a national level, Ryan said, El-Sayed’s public posture swung to a middle ground.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
During interviews conducted after the experiment, most participants said they had not realized that their posture was being manipulated.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026
His posture seemed the model of graciousness and elegant accommodation.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Fish seeking cleaning services often use predictable postures, such as headstands or tail stands.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 20, 2026
“Power Ballad” postures like a sincere drama but has the set pieces of a giant slapstick farce.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026
The drawings emphasize the allegorical side of Ahab’s monomaniacal hunt, fixing the characters in expressive, statuesque postures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 2, 2026
In a transformation this fundamental, those defensive postures carry real costs.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 18, 2025
Bucky did, easing the door shut behind him as Stick and I assumed studious postures on our beds.
From "The Rock and the River" by Kekla Magoon
“Southern California is very uniquely postured to help NASA,” Glover said.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2026
"These movements ensured that US forces remain postured, protected and ready to respond decisively for any emerging threat," he said.
From Barron's ● Mar. 2, 2026
Mr Austin told the committee in his opening statement that there has been a review of the chain of command process, saying the "system must be postured better" so this does not happen again.
From BBC ● Feb. 29, 2024
“Guardians, along with the rest of the services and joint force, are currently postured to deter and, if required, defeat these potential threats,” the report said, without elaborating.
From Washington Times ● Oct. 18, 2023
With some you postured and with some you groveled and with some you were imperious.
From "The Killer Angels: The Classic Novel of the Civil War" by Michael Shaara
As a signal to markets that Tokyo’s limited tools are less limited than they look, it is shrewd posturing at no cost.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
After more than a decade of posturing and power struggles - a soap opera of warring promoters, shifting managers, fractured television deals and failed negotiations - it has finally come down to this.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
After last week’s debate, there was lots of social media posturing about who won and who trolled whom the best.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 28, 2026
Bragging, threatening, and posturing are all frowned upon.
From Slate ● Apr. 13, 2026
“Mr. Jeffries, good to see you again,” she said, and he knew she wasn’t posturing, wasn’t pretending.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
