Jump To:

• 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

---

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.

---

posé ³ American  

[poh-zey, paw-zey] / 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.

---

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

---

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

---

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

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

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 digital divide can also pose a real threat, leaving older people vulnerable to high-tech crimes such as online scams or limiting their access to medical services, experts say.

From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026

Likewise, Hernandez-Thompson grounds “If I Go” with powerful montages of real residents shot with seemingly no other direction than to pose however they want.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

These fluorinated substances are increasingly under scrutiny because they can persist in the environment and may pose environmental and health risks.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026

While outspoken about the threat China’s carmakers pose to the American auto industry, Farley has also acknowledged that Ford needs to work with those competitors in some capacity to maintain an edge around the world.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

But despite the real and devastating effects of the meltdown, forms of power other than nuclear fission may pose a greater threat to Japan.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland

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

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

The rapid development of AI and fears over the risks that the technology poses to humanity have been thrust into the spotlight by a series of warnings from executives and staff at AI firms.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

The titans of the booming artificial-intelligence industry have sounded a three-alarm fire, warning that AI poses an existential risk to the human race and urging a global slowdown in the breakneck pace of development.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 14, 2026

But you don’t have to believe that AI is going to destroy the planet to recognize that it poses challenges to our way of life that no technology has represented before.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

This poses a major threat to the tombs in this area.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026

The photographer had me sit on a high black stool, and do all these poses, like I was modeling.

From "I Will Always Write Back" by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda

In the Senate, members have begun investigating existential risks posed by the technology, and on bipartisan legislation requiring companies to test for and report catastrophic dangers.

From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026

In photos of the Bahamas celebration reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, guests posed under a heart, and one guest captioned her post “the wedding of the century.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

Understanding those differences, along with the techniques used to uncover them, could help scientists improve models used to estimate the risks posed by future eruptions.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026

In more than half of cases there had been a failure to properly assess the risk the patient posed to themself or to others.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

We shook hands and posed for a photo.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama

Officers posing as undercover buyers sometimes have to use their own money, Nawee said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026

A 2020 survey of 708 young women found that, at least on dating apps, straight men posing with their cats would face an uphill battle, especially in comparison to those showing off their dogs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

The work by Oxford University, which is published in the International Journal of Cancer, defines any drink at 65 degrees Celsuis or above as "very hot" and posing a potential risk.

From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026

It’s reasonable to conclude that Putin is posing the same question.

From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026

We were posing in front of the Spaceship Earth geosphere at Epcot for my thirteenth birthday.

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas

Related Words

• mannerism
• mien
• posture