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

Explanation

Posture is the way you position your body or arrange your limbs. So stand up straight, put your shoulders back, and lift that chin up. Ballerinas have an elegant, graceful posture, and soldiers tend to display a rigid, strong posture. If you sit hunched over your desk every day you'll end up with terrible posture. This noun describes the way you carry yourself, but can also describe a certain body position you take, like the different postures in yoga. If you're accused of posturing though, that's a different story — that means you're behaving unnaturally to impress someone.

Example Sentences

He was a commissioner on the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States from 2022-23.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

Posture isn't just about muscles, it's also about mindset.

From BBC • Aug. 25, 2025

Posture indicates she had been leant against the side, with her left hand curled under her head, and a rock behind the head like a small cushion, which may have been placed there.

From Science Daily • May 1, 2024

In its 2022 Nuclear Posture Review, a document that outlines Washington’s nuclear policy for the next five to 10 years, the Pentagon itself noted the “deterrence dilemmas” that the North posed to the United States.

From New York Times • Jan. 12, 2023

“Of course I do. We’re studying Reading, Spelling, Arithmetic, and Penmanship. Oh, and Deportment. I got an ‘acceptable’ for Posture but an ‘unsatisfactory’ for Use of Hankie and Thimble.

From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly

Related Words

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