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• pose
  pose

  verb (used without object)

  to assume a particular attitude or stance, especially with the hope of impressing others.
• posé
  posé

  noun

  a movement in which the dancer steps, in any desired position, from one foot to the other with a straight knee onto the flat foot, demi-pointe, or pointe.

pose

¹ American  

[pohz] / poʊz /

verb (used without object)

posed, posing

1. to assume a particular attitude or stance, especially with the hope of impressing others.

   He likes to pose as an authority on literature.

2. to present oneself insincerely.

   He seems to be posing in all his behavior.

3. to assume or hold a physical attitude, as for an artistic purpose.

   to pose for a painter.

   Synonyms:

   model, sit

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verb (used with object)

posed, posing

1. to place in a suitable position or attitude for a picture, tableau, or the like.

   to pose a group for a photograph.

2. to assert, state, or put forward.

   That poses a difficult problem.

3. to put or place.

noun

• poses
  plural

1. a bodily attitude or posture.

   Her pose had a note of defiance in it.

2. a mental attitude or posture.

   a pose cultivated by the upper classes.

3. the act or period of posing, as for a picture.

4. a position or attitude assumed in posing, or exhibited by a figure in a picture, sculptural work, tableau, or the like.

5. a moment in which a dancer remains motionless, usually in an assumed posture.

6. a studied attitude; affectation.

   His liberalism is merely a pose.

pose ² American  

[pohz] / poʊz /

verb (used with object)

posed, posing

1. Archaic. to perplex or baffle, as by a difficult question or problem.

2. Obsolete. to examine by putting questions.

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posé ³ American  

[poh-zay, paw-zay] / poʊˈzeɪ, pɔˈzeɪ /

noun

Ballet.

• posés
  plural

1. a movement in which the dancer steps, in any desired position, from one foot to the other with a straight knee onto the flat foot, demi-pointe, or pointe.

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pose ¹ British  

/ pəʊz /

verb

1. to assume or cause to assume a physical attitude, as for a photograph or painting

2. to pretend to be or present oneself (as something one is not)

3. (intr) to affect an attitude or play a part in order to impress others

4. (tr) to put forward, ask, or assert

   to pose a question

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noun

1. a physical attitude, esp one deliberately adopted for or represented by an artist or photographer

2. a mode of behaviour that is adopted for effect

pose ² British  

/ pəʊz /

verb

1. rare to puzzle or baffle

2. archaic to question closely

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Usage

What is the basic definition of pose? Pose means to position your body in a particular way for a painting, picture, or similar situation. Pose also means the particular positioning you assume as part of posing. To pose also means to state or assert something. Pose has several other senses as a verb and a noun. When people pose, they arrange their body and face in a certain position for some reason. For example, people often pose for pictures by making a peace sign with their hand or blowing a kiss to the camera. Before cameras were invented, politicians and other important people would pose for portraits, which often involved remaining completely still for hours at a time. A person who poses is called a poser.

• Real-life examples: Supermodels will pose when they reach the end of a catwalk. People often pose in selfies that they then post on social media. It is thought that the woman who posed for Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa was Lisa Gherardini del Giocondo.
• Used in a sentence: My family posed for a picture to use on a Christmas card. 

In this same sense, pose means a specific arrangement of the body and face that a person assumes for some reason.

• Real-life examples: Yoga involves positioning your body in a variety of poses. Many dance routines involve performing a variety of poses. Your mom likely wants you to have a nice pose for your school picture.
• Used in a sentence: The painting depicted the king in a very powerful pose.

As a verb, pose can also mean to assert, state, or put forward.

• Real-life examples: Reporters pose questions to people they are interviewing. An active volcano often poses problems to people who live nearby. A new job often poses many new challenges that a person must overcome.
• Used in a sentence: Pollution poses a threat to a healthy environment. 

Synonym Usage

See position.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• posable
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• poses
  plural
• posés
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of pose¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English verb posen, from Middle French poser, from Late Latin pausāre “to stop, cease, rest,” derivative of Latin pausa “stop, cessation” ( see pause); French poser has taken over the basic sense of Latin pōnere “to put, place” and represents it in French borrowings of its prefixed derivatives ( see compose, depose, etc.)

Origin of pose²

First recorded in 1520–30; shortening of obsolete appose, variant of oppose, used in sense of Latin appōnere “to put to”

Origin of posé³

First recorded in 1925–30; from French: “poised,” past participle of poser “to pose”; see pose ¹

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Explanation

To pose is to assume a particular stance. Like a runway model strutting to the end of the catwalk, posing with her hands on her hips, and then gracefully walking back. The original meaning of pose from the 14th century is "to put in a certain position." The sense of pose as "to assume a certain attitude" emerged in the 1850’s. When a person poses, he presents himself in a particular way, often with the hope of impressing others. But if you're just posing objects, then the word loses the negative connotation.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pose posé poses posed posing

The merger could pose a challenge for other app-based delivery services like Uber Eats, Grubhub and Postmates.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

A stagnant or even shrinking labor force might pose concrete danger in the long run.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 29, 2026

William Blair analyst Louie DiPalma warned that large-language AI models hiring Palantir employees could pose an existential threat to the company.

From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026

"Sufficiently advanced AI systems could, if not developed, deployed, and operated with appropriate safeguards, oversight, and security measures, pose catastrophic or existential risks to humanity," Anthropic said.

From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026

“She better be careful,” Ethel said when Cha-Cha strutted into place to pose for a “Dogs of Washington!” publicity photo the next day.

From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein

He says Philippe, the coiffeur, has never left him, that it won't be his fault if my diadem is not perfectly posé, and that he plied him with beer all along the route.

From Letters of a Diplomat's Wife 1883-1900 by Mary King Waddington

No social posé has yet been attained; and each is too much absorbed in making good his general claims to consideration, to have leisure for the calmer enjoyments that might be snatched during the contest.

From The International Monthly, Volume 4, No. 1, August, 1851 by Various

If it be a question of mere pabulum, it is altogether mal posé.

From Life: Its True Genesis by R. W. Wright

We have heard him say: "No, I will not claim the hat in that photograph, though I made it, because it is mal posé."

From Woman as Decoration by Emily Burbank

The company has a formula that assesses how much of a credit risk each of us poses, and it licenses it to the big three credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.

From Slate ● Oct. 27, 2026

"I will be clear with members that this is a significant issue for us, which potentially poses a substantial risk to this project," Welsh added.

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

All of it boils down to simple questions Gibney poses at the film’s outset: How could Musk assume so much power, and why have we given it to him?

From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026

But leaders of OpenAI and Anthropic have warned that the technology’s fast development poses serious risks to jobs and human existence.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

Despite their cool poses they wear their cravings on the outside, like the suckers on a squid.

From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood

Her post gained thousands of supportive comments and she posed the question: "What happens when AI decides what 'normal' looks like?"

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026

The horse carriages previously traveled through other parts of the city, but critics said their presence on busy streets posed a danger to the horses and the public.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

US President Donald Trump posted photos early Thursday showing Hubbard smiling as he posed with US special envoy Steve Witkoff.

From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026

He insisted he only posed the question to the Vulins because they were walking their infant through an area of West Hollywood lined with nightclubs and bars.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

He and Sunny posed with me for photos in an online campaign to urge people to sign up for health-care coverage.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

If someone said, “act like you’re terrible at posing for photos,” I don’t know what I would do.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026

Leaving court after the sentencing, Brown was greeted by loud cheers from dozens of fans, posing for photos with some of them before being driven away in a black car.

From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2026

According to the Sun, the letter was sent to a Met Police unit tasked with dealing with individuals posing a threat to Royals and politicians - the Fixated Threat Assessment Centre.

From BBC ● Oct. 24, 2026

Translation: This Vision has a purpose beyond figuring out his role in this world, something he put off by hiding in a pub under the alias of Sherwood Ellis and posing as human.

From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026

Agent Fiona glances over at Dylan, who’s posing for a picture with a pretty Junior Agent girl.

From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston

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Related Words

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