position

American  

[puh-zish-uhn] / pəˈzɪʃ ən /

noun

positions plural

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.

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verb (used with object)

positions, present (3rd person singular) positioned, past participle, past positioning present participle

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

   Synonyms:

   situate

2. to determine the position of; locate.

position British  

/ 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

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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

Synonym Usage

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.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• positions
  plural

Participles

• positioning
  present
• positioned
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• position
  simple
• positions
  simple
• have positioned
  perfect
• has positioned
  perfect
• am positioning
  progressive
• are positioning
  progressive
• is positioning
  progressive
• have been positioning
  perfect progressive
• has been positioning
  perfect progressive

Past

• positioned
  simple
• had positioned
  perfect
• was positioning
  progressive
• were positioning
  progressive
• had been positioning
  perfect progressive

Future

• will position
  simple
• will have positioned
  perfect
• will be positioning
  progressive
• will have been positioning
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of position

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

Explanation

A position is the point where something is located, as on a map, or the posture it's arranged in, such as an "upright position." Position has many meanings. As a noun it can be a job or post in an organization (an "open position" is a job opening); the role assigned to the individual player of a team sport (guard, forward, and center are basketball positions); a view or perspective on a particular issue; or the place an item occupies on a list or sequence (in racing, "pole position" is first, on the inside). As a verb it can mean lay, place, pose, or set.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

position positions positioned positioning

Sarwar had said he would stick around as leader to steady the ship, but his swift exit contradicts that position and is a source of controversy for some.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

The position is also a springboard to higher office.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

Wang also "articulated China's solemn position regarding a series of negative words and actions by the US side", the statement said, without referring to specific issues.

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

When the trade works, every position rises together.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026

“Edda, if I was responsible for calling you and saying that word, why would I have typed it on that blueprint?” he continues from his position kneeling on the floor.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

All that explains why the “top cop” job has gone from being a second-tier statewide office to one of the most sought-after positions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

Despite Ukraine being in one of its best positions on the front line in months, Drapaty faces serious challenges.

From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026

At gone 22:00 BST on Monday night, there was still a minibus full of ministerial wannabes inside Downing Street waiting for their new positions to be confirmed.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

Instead, its leading firms compete through innovation, producing highly differentiated, technology-intensive components that occupy critical positions in the global AI supply chain.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026

“Let’s go, y’all! Head in the diamond!” he shouts from the stands as we take our field positions when it’s the Crabs’ turn at bat.

From "Fast Pitch" by Nic Stone

Now the calculus has changed, with the Red Sox positioned to add to their roster over the coming weeks in an effort to extend their season deep into October.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

This allowed them to identify viral and human proteins that interact and estimate how those proteins are positioned when they connect.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026

FIFA’s president, Gianni Infantino, has repeatedly positioned the sport as a force for inclusion and social cohesion; soccer diplomacy is being elevated as the panacea for our current global disharmony.

From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026

"The BBC created an election-timed documentary about a Florida-resident US presidential candidate, promoted it globally through an unrestricted official channel, and positioned it for international and U.S. consumption."

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

He pulled open the burrow door and marched outside, where Magic was positioned with paw to forehead, mouth agape, trembling in fear, and wobbly.

From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el

“The deal strengthens AMD’s strategic partnership, competitive positioning, and long-term revenue opportunities,” Hendi Susanto, a portfolio manager at Gabelli Funds, said in emailed comments regarding Anthropic.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026

The wipeout in semiconductor sentiment reflects positioning more than fundamentals.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026

AlixPartners, the financial adviser, will provide advice on “improving execution, strengthening operations and positioning Lucid to realize the full potential of its technology, products and innovation,” a Lucid spokesman said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

Fiat is positioning it for use in resorts and neighborhoods or for commuting, noting that many golf-cart owners buy those vehicles today for use outside of a course.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026

She was aiming, positioning the blades of the shears, then cutting with a convulsive jerk of the hands.

From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood

Related Words

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