posture

American  

[pos-cher] / ˈpɒs tʃər /

noun

1. the relative disposition of the parts of something.

2. the position of the limbs or the carriage of the body as a whole.

   poor posture; a sitting posture.

3. an affected or unnatural attitude.

   He struck a comic posture.

4. a mental or spiritual attitude.

   His ideas reveal a defensive posture.

5. one's image or policy as perceived by the public, other nations, etc..

   The company wants to develop a more aggressive marketing posture.

6. position, condition, or state, as of affairs.

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verb (used with object)

postured, posturing

1. to place in a particular posture or attitude.

2. to position, especially strategically.

   to posture troops along a border.

3. to develop a policy or stance for (oneself, a company, government, etc.).

   The White House postured itself for dealing with the fuel crisis.

4. to adopt an attitude or take an official position on (a matter).

   The company postured that the court's ruling could be interpreted as being in its favor.

verb (used without object)

postured, posturing

1. to assume a particular posture.

2. to assume affected or unnatural postures, as by bending or contorting the body.

3. to act in an affected or artificial manner, as to create a certain impression.

posture British  

/ ˈpɒstʃə /

noun

1. a position or attitude of the limbs or body

2. a characteristic manner of bearing the body; carriage

   to have good posture

3. the disposition of the parts of a visible object

4. a mental attitude or frame of mind

5. a state, situation, or condition

6. a false or affected attitude; pose

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verb

1. to assume or cause to assume a bodily position or attitude

2. (intr) to assume an affected or unnatural bodily or mental posture; pose

Related Words

See position.

Other Word Forms

• postural adjective
• posturer noun

Etymology

Origin of posture

First recorded in 1595–1605; from French, from Italian postura, from Latin positūra. See posit, -ure

Example Sentences

The Microsoft-owned site was long used primarily for job hunting and corporate posturing—but data show people are now scrolling longer.

From The Wall Street Journal

Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski wrote on X, “I continue to hope the administration’s rhetoric on Greenland is nothing more than posturing for a new era of cooperation.”

From Salon

"Despite its superficial appearance, Sahelanthropus was adapted to using bipedal posture and movement on the ground."

From Science Daily

Many therapists arrived at this posture for understandable reasons.

From The Wall Street Journal

But behind the powdered-wig posturing and fusty adherence to tradition lies his radical idea: Progress is impossible without a past.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• attitude
• disposition
• feeling
• frame of mind
• mood
• outlook
• sentiment
• stance