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.

---

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

---

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

A second was charged after first resigning his position, then fleeing the country.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

So, off the IL alone, the Dodgers are expecting to add two well-established starters, a closer, and a versatile position player in the second half.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

For example, if tax circumstances allow, they might sell some of the Eli Lilly position at little or no capital-gains tax, making that another potential funding source.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026

Research firm SemiAnalysis predicts that CXMT’s global share will grow to 12% by next year, up from an estimated 9% in 2025, cementing its No. 4 position behind the big three.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

“It’s an adjustment, playing a new position with older teammates,” Aunt Jen chimes in.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

Even creating executive positions requires signoff from Paramount.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

There’s a balance every politician must strike: retaining one’s authenticity while remaining open to recalibrating policy positions in response to new evidence or simply evolving, or to match shifts in the public mood.

From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026

The new chairman has said that providing forward guidance locks policymakers into positions that they may need to change.

From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026

One of Rodri's most useful qualities in a Maresca side would be his ability to move between these predefined positions on the pitch.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

All along the Western Front, German armies worked at strengthening their positions, digging elaborate systems of trenches protected by barbed-wire entanglements and by batteries of machine guns and artillery.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman

Pogacar's victory means he is positioned by many as the greatest cyclist of all time, superseding the achievements and status of Belgian legend Merckx.

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

He then found himself fighting YG and a man he described as YG’s bodyguard, with Drakeo positioned a foot or two behind him and to his right.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026

In the latter formation, Rogers would be positioned more centrally from the start.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

Chief Executive Joseph Zubretsky said the imbalance between Medicaid rates and medical costs appears to have stabilized and is well positioned to be corrected with future rate increases.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

He gestures to the two chairs positioned in the room.

From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin

City will look better with Rodri, who possesses an understanding of positioning, speed and risk that Anderson and future signings may take time to grasp.

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

It is a positioning problem colliding with a macro shock.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026

The Texas Stock Exchange began trading Friday, the culmination of years spent wooing companies, reshaping corporate laws and positioning the state as America’s next financial hub.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

So far, Whoop has focused its marketing efforts on positioning itself as an aspirational brand worn by some of the fittest people in the world in the most rarefied spaces.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

I sensed the unfamiliar positioning of the hairpins in my hair.

From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath

Related Words

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