fence post

American

[fens pohst] / ˈfɛns ˌpoʊst /

noun

a post, made of wood, metal, or other sturdy material, that is a vertical support for a fence. The horizontal pieces or sections of a fence are attached to the fence posts, which are set at intervals into the ground, usually secured with concrete or gravel.

Etymology

Origin of fence post

First recorded in 1790–95

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.

Affixed to a fence post, it displayed the house’s name: Somewhere.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 22, 2024

“If you see a turtle on top of a fence post, you know someone put it there,” he said.

From New York Times • Jan. 6, 2023

The stake you put at planting time should be very robust, such as a steel fence post, or 1-inch by 1-inch wooden stake with an installed height of five feet.

From Salon • Jul. 7, 2022

"I found it near a fence post on Sanday when we spent a morning there looking round the dunes and walking across the beach," he said.

From BBC • Jun. 20, 2022

She gasped in terror and whirled around the fence post to put it between her and him.

From "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert C. O'Brien

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023