fetal position

American  

noun

1. a bodily posture resembling that of the fetus in the uterus, in which the body is curled with head and limbs drawn in, sometimes assumed in states of fear or emotional withdrawal.

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fetal position British  

noun

1. a bodily position similar to that of a fetus in the womb, with the knees up towards the chest and the head bent forward

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Etymology

Origin of fetal position

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

"I get into bed in the fetal position and my shoulder is absolutely killing me."

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

He was right: There was something eerily peaceful about the grid of women folded in fetal position.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

The witness testified that she spotted Lockhart in a nearby yard two years ago on June 30, apparently clutching her belly in pain and lying in the fetal position.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 30, 2025

She stops to gently touch the shoulder of a man curled up in the fetal position on the sidewalk, his head inches from the tires of a parked car.

From Seattle Times • May 4, 2024

Inside its jar, shrunken into a fetal position, wrapped in tatters, and accompanied by its wretched necklaces of teeth and a handful of rag dolls, the mummy looked like the pit of some exotic fruit.

From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende