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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

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

The chair of a public inquiry into mental health deaths said she would make interim recommendations if she identified issues that "might pose an urgent risk to patient safety".

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

Google’s own researchers have written that the technology can pose elevated risks to children, and has potential for cognitive and emotional harm, report Shalini Ramachandran, Georgia Wells and Molly Reinmann.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

In a Thursday note to clients, she argued that Meta’s recently announced rollout of devices such as keychains and glasses could pose a credible risk to Apple.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026

That includes eruptions from volcanoes that continue to pose risks to heavily populated regions around Mexico City, Naples and Yogyakarta in Indonesia.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026

The evening was getting late, and Ilyumzhinov began to make motions to go, but before doing so, he asked Bobby to pose with him for a photograph.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

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

Lawmakers asked about a range of threats AI poses, including the potential for it to aid in the development of weapons and swarms of AI agents going rogue and hacking into systems.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

"Clearly, this poses a risk to both our staff and our students," he alleged, adding that 78 education staff members had been wounded -- "something we have never seen before."

From Barron's ● Oct. 4, 2026

In the brightly lighted foyer, Valentyna Kyselova adjusts her hair in one of the gilded mirrors, then poses for a selfie with a friend.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026

Dozens of flights to and from Catalina Island have crashed over the years, with pilots saying the airport poses its share of challenges.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

My favorite thing in my room is my bulletin board, full of pictures of the United Nations—me, Julia, and Isabella in silly poses.

From "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée

The US government opposed the request, arguing she posed "an extreme risk of flight and danger to the public."

From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026

This phase of the inquiry is examining how the risks posed by violence-fixated individuals can be managed, and the role the internet and social media play in influencing and enabling them.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

But the appointment comes as the White House is racing to address the threats posed by the latest models and boost the technology’s popularity.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

See more: Factory robots long posed a safety threat to human workers.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026

As if my mere existence posed some kind of threat.

From "Willodeen" by Katherine Applegate

The photos showed the Lincoln football players posing behind the counter and drive-thru window dressed in their football uniforms and helmets.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026

In its complaint, the state said investigators set up TikTok accounts posing as 13-, 14- and 15-year-olds in Alabama and switched on Restricted Mode.

From Barron's ● Sep. 25, 2026

They spoke briefly before walking side by side down the red carpet and posing for photos.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

A growing number of prison staff have told the BBC that rules are being stretched or broken to accommodate additional inmates, potentially posing health and safety risks.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

In the background was a watermark of the restaurant, with photos of Abuela posing with different members of the community—including a large photo of Abuela with Commissioner García.

From "The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora" by Pablo Cartaya

Related Words

• mannerism
• mien
• posture