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position

[puh-zish-uhn]
See more synonyms for position on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. condition with reference to place; location; situation.
  2. a place occupied or to be occupied; site: a fortified position.
  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.
  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.
  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.
  13. Ballet. any of the five basic positions of the feet with which every step or movement begins and ends.Compare first position, second position, third position, fourth position, fifth position.
  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.Compare close position, inversion(def 8a), open position, root position.
    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.
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verb (used with object)
  1. to put in a particular or appropriate position; place.
  2. to determine the position of; locate.
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Origin of position

1325–75; Middle English posicioun a positing (< Anglo-French) < Latin positiōn- (stem of positiō) a placing, etc. See posit, -ion
Related formspo·si·tion·al, adjectivepo·si·tion·less, adjectivemis·po·si·tion, verb (used with object)well-po·si·tioned, adjective

Synonyms

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2. station, locality, spot. 5. rank. 7. 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. 8. placement, disposition, array, arrangement. 9. 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. 12. proposition, hypothesis, postulate, thesis; dictum, assertion, predication, contention; doctrine, principle. 17. situate.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

areapointspotseatenvironmentstandsituationpostlocationstatusstatearrangementattitudeconditionstanceviewpointopinionviewstandingrank

Examples from the Web for position

Contemporary Examples

Historical Examples

  • Now tell me just what you expect a woman in my position to do.

    The Spenders

    Harry Leon Wilson

  • Yet it is a satisfaction to do what I can to let you know the position in which I stand.

    Brave and Bold

    Horatio Alger

  • If you had married him you'd 'a' had a position, like they say here, right away.

    The Spenders

    Harry Leon Wilson

  • If you don't know my position on board this ship, it's time you found it out!

    Brave and Bold

    Horatio Alger

  • I should think Hester would have more sense than to encourage a boy in his position.

    Brave and Bold

    Horatio Alger

British Dictionary definitions for position

position

noun
  1. the place, situation, or location of a person or thinghe took up a position to the rear
  2. the appropriate or customary locationthe telescope is in position for use
  3. the arrangement or disposition of the body or a part of the bodythe 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; standwhat'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 positionSee also root position
    2. one of the points on the fingerboard of a stringed instrument, determining where a string is to be stopped
  13. (in classical prosody)
    1. the situation in which a short vowel may be regarded as long, that is, when it occurs before two or more consonants
    2. make position(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 commoditiesa long position; a short position
  15. in a position (foll by an infinitive) able (to)I'm not in a position to reveal these figures
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verb (tr)
  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
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Derived Formspositional, adjective

Word Origin

C15: from Late Latin positiō a positioning, affirmation, from pōnere to place, lay down
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for position

n.

late 14c., as a term in logic and philosophy, from Old French posicion "position, supposition" (Modern French position), from Latin positionem (nominative positio) "act or fact of placing, situation, position, affirmation," noun of state from past participle stem of ponere "put, place," from PIE *po-s(i)nere, from *apo- "off, away" (see apo-) + *sinere "to leave, let" (see site).

Meaning "proper place occupied by a person or thing" is from 1540s. Meaning "manner in which some physical thing is arranged or posed" first recorded 1703; specifically in reference to dance steps, 1778, sexual intercourse, 1883. Meaning "official station, employment" is from 1890.

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v.

1670s, "to assume a position (intransitive), from position (n.). Transitive sense of "to put in a particular position" is recorded from 1817. Related: Positioned; positioning.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
position in Medicine

position

(pə-zĭsh′ən)
n.
  1. A place occupied.
  2. A bodily attitude or posture, especially a posture assumed by a patient to facilitate the performance of diagnostic, surgical, or therapeutic procedures.
  3. The relation of an arbitrarily chosen portion of the fetus to the right or left side of the mother.
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Related formsposition v.po•si′tion•al adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.