Jump To:

• 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

---

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.

---

posé ³ American  

[poh-zey, paw-zey] / 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.

---

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

---

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

---

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

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

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

Anthropic has warned that the tools pose safety risks because they often don’t have the same safeguards as the most powerful closed models.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

One threat those higher yields pose is that they can lure investors away from perceived riskier stocks.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026

Affiliated or related-party assets, while legal, are between businesses that have ties and pose potential conflicts of interest; they require disclosure and typically extra regulatory scrutiny.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

Arrivals must be registered, with identity checks to prevent those who pose security or public health risks from entering the EU undetected.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

At the beginning of the Renaissance, it was not obvious that zero would pose a threat to the church.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

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

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

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

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

“The chatbot’s tendency to perpetuate health misinformation and associated stigma regarding self-managed medication abortions poses a threat to public health and reproductive autonomy,” the researchers wrote.

From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026

A U.S. official said President Trump is committed to supporting a stable, unified, peaceful Syria that poses no threat to its neighbors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

This means it did not take into account the greater risk heat poses to older people because they sweat less and tend to have weaker hearts as well as pre-existing medical conditions.

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

The moment poses the question: Can she run this restaurant on her own?

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

“The...shadow of our dark time still haunts us. It poses no danger. That much I can say. There is nothing to fear. I assure you.”

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

“This tragic loss is a reminder of the serious threat posed by mosquito-borne diseases, including West Nile virus and dengue.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

In a Thursday note, Mohan posed the question: “Will Apple move from a scale and execution era to one driven by AI innovation?”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026

While the verdict caps the fallout from Evergrande's collapse, challenges posed by a stubborn slump in the once-booming property sector still loom large for China and its leaders.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

However, Ankara rejected Israel's suggestion that it posed a threat.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

But the bride keeps the guests in suspense by not answering the question until the third time it’s been posed.

From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi

Hollyer also shared photos of the couple and friends posing in front of a flower arch and at dinner, seemingly moments after the proposal.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2026

Which, as well as posing its own set of unique challenges that curtailed my reporting, is also a bizarre way to treat a victim of a crime.

From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026

"Who was the White House hoaxer who duped PM?" asks the Daily Mail as it reports that Andy Burnham exchanged messages with a person posing as the chief of staff to US President Donald.

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

Because while New York offers bountiful food, it also hosts heavy maritime traffic, posing fresh threats to the whale population.

From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026

“The mommas and their cubs come out of their dens in the spring and head straight for the bay to start looking for food. After posing for the polar bear paparazzi, of course.”

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

Related Words

• mannerism
• mien
• posture