position

[puh-zish-uhn]

noun

1. condition with reference to place; location; situation.

2. a place occupied or to be occupied; site.

   a fortified position.

   Synonyms: spot, locality, station

3. the proper, appropriate, or usual place.

   out of position.

4. situation or condition, especially with relation to favorable or unfavorable circumstances.

   to be in an awkward position; to bargain from a position of strength.

5. status or standing.

   He has a position to maintain in the community.

   Synonyms: rank

6. high standing, as in society; important status.

   a person of wealth and position.

7. a post of employment.

   a position in a bank.

8. manner of being placed, disposed, or arranged.

   the relative position of the hands of a clock.

   Synonyms: arrangement, array, disposition, placement

9. bodily posture or attitude.

   to be in a sitting position.

10. mental attitude; stand.

    one's position on a controversial topic.

11. the act of positing.

12. something that is posited.

    Synonyms: principle, doctrine, contention, predication, assertion, dictum, thesis, postulate, hypothesis, proposition

13. Ballet.,  any of the five basic positions of the feet with which every step or movement begins and ends.

14. Music.

    1. the arrangement of tones in a chord, especially with regard to the location of the root tone in a triad or to the distance of the tones from each other.

    2. any of the places on the fingerboard of a stringed instrument where the fingers stop the strings to produce the variouspitches.

    3. any of the places to which the slide of a trombone is shifted to produce changes in pitch.

15. Finance.,  a commitment to buy or sell securities.

    He took a large position in defense stocks.

16. Classical Prosody.,  the situation of a short vowel before two or more consonants or their equivalent, making the syllable metrically long.

verb (used with object)

1. to put in a particular or appropriate position; place.

   Synonyms: situate

2. to determine the position of; locate.

position

/ pəˈzɪʃən /

noun

1. the place, situation, or location of a person or thing

   he took up a position to the rear

2. the appropriate or customary location

   the telescope is in position for use

3. the arrangement or disposition of the body or a part of the body

   the corpse was found in a sitting position

4. the manner in which a person or thing is placed; arrangement

5. military an area or point occupied for tactical reasons

6. mental attitude; point of view; stand

   what's your position on this issue?

7. social status or standing, esp high social standing

8. a post of employment; job

9. the act of positing a fact or viewpoint

10. something posited, such as an idea, proposition, etc

11. sport the part of a field or playing area where a player is placed or where he generally operates

12. music

    1. the vertical spacing or layout of the written notes in a chord. Chords arranged with the three upper voices close together are in close position . Chords whose notes are evenly or widely distributed are in open position See also root position

    2. one of the points on the fingerboard of a stringed instrument, determining where a string is to be stopped

13. 1. the situation in which a short vowel may be regarded as long, that is, when it occurs before two or more consonants

    2. (of a consonant, either on its own or in combination with other consonants, such as x in Latin) to cause a short vowel to become metrically long when placed after it

14. finance the market commitment of a dealer in securities, currencies, or commodities

    a long position

    a short position

15. (foll by an infinitive) able (to)

    I'm not in a position to reveal these figures

verb

1. to put in the proper or appropriate place; locate

2. sport to place (oneself or another player) in a particular part of the field or playing area

3. to put (someone or something) in a position (esp in relation to others) that confers a strategic advantage: he's trying to position himself for a leadership bid

4. marketing to promote (a product or service) by tailoring it to the needs of a specific market or by clearly differentiating it from its competitors (e.g. in terms of price or quality)

5. rare,  to locate or ascertain the position of

Other Word Forms

• positional adjective
• positionless adjective
• misposition verb (used with object)
• well-positioned adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of position¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English posicioun “a positing” (from Anglo-French ), from Latin positiōn- (stem of positiō ) “a placing, etc.” See posit, -ion

Word History and Origins

Origin of position¹

C15: from Late Latin positiō a positioning, affirmation, from pōnere to place, lay down

Synonym Study

Position, job, place, situation refer to a post of employment. Position is any employment, though usually above manual labor: a position as clerk. Job is colloquial for position, and applies to any work from lowest to highest in an organization: a job as cook, as manager. Place and situation are both mainly used today in reference to a position that is desired or being applied for; situation is the general word in the business world: Situations Wanted; place is used rather of domestic employment: He is looking for a place as a gardener. Position, posture, attitude, pose refer to an arrangement or disposal of the body or its parts. Position is the general word for the arrangement of the body: in a reclining position. Posture is usually an assumed arrangement of the body, especially when standing: a relaxed posture. Attitude is often a posture assumed for imitative effect or the like, but may be one adopted for a purpose (as that of a fencer or a tightrope walker): an attitude of prayer. A pose is an attitude assumed, in most cases, for artistic effect: an attractive pose.

Example Sentences

In many ways, GM is trying to regain a position it squandered decades ago.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Lead researcher, Prof Gillian Forrester explained that being a reporter and broadcaster has probably made me "quite habituated to being put in stressful positions".

Read more on BBC

Informal talks are taking place, focused on short-term extensions mixed with changes to the program, but party leaders have remained firmly dug in to their positions.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Gannon-Doak puts himself in good positions but too often wastes his own good work with hurried deliveries that are easily dealt with.

Read more on BBC

Over the past five days a feeling they will win from any position has only strengthened - this triumph following victory over Pakistan by 107 runs despite being 76-7 at one stage.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• area 
• environment 
• location 
• point 
• post 
• seat 
• situation 
• spot 
• stand