position

[ puh-zish-uhn ]

/ pəˈzɪʃ ən /

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See synonyms for: position / positioned / positioning / positions on Thesaurus.com

noun

condition with reference to place; location; situation.

a place occupied or to be occupied; site: a fortified position.

the proper, appropriate, or usual place: out of position.

situation or condition, especially with relation to favorable or unfavorable circumstances: to be in an awkward position; to bargain from a position of strength.

status or standing: He has a position to maintain in the community.

high standing, as in society; important status: a person of wealth and position.

a post of employment: a position in a bank.

manner of being placed, disposed, or arranged: the relative position of the hands of a clock.

bodily posture or attitude: to be in a sitting position.

mental attitude; stand: one's position on a controversial topic.

the act of positing.

something that is posited.

Ballet. any of the five basic positions of the feet with which every step or movement begins and ends.Compare first position, second position, third position, fourth position, fifth position.

Music.

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.Compare close position, inversion (def. 8a), open position, root position.
any of the places on the fingerboard of a stringed instrument where the fingers stop the strings to produce the variouspitches.
any of the places to which the slide of a trombone is shifted to produce changes in pitch.

Finance. a commitment to buy or sell securities: He took a large position in defense stocks.

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)

to put in a particular or appropriate position; place.

to determine the position of; locate.

OTHER WORDS FOR position

2 station, locality, spot.

5 rank.

8 placement, disposition, array, arrangement.

12 proposition, hypothesis, postulate, thesis; dictum, assertion, predication, contention; doctrine, principle.

17 situate.

See synonyms for position on Thesaurus.com

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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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

synonym study for position

7. 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.
9. 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 WORDS FROM position

po·si·tion·al, adjectivepo·si·tion·less, adjectivemis·po·si·tion, verb (used with object)well-po·si·tioned, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use position in a sentence

Observers think Grothman would be well-positioned in a Republican primary, provided the 73-year-old Petri even runs.
Tom Petri's Primary Challenge May Mark End Of Rockefeller Republicanism|Ben Jacobs|April 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Thanks to the basic dynamics of American politics, the GOP—as white and geriatric as it is—sits well-positioned for success.
The GOP Failed to Reform...and It Doesn't Matter|Jamelle Bouie|March 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Community leaders are well positioned to begin a dialogue while steering the conversation appropriately among their followers.
Jewish Communities in Sweden Sound Alarm Over Alleged Anti-Semitism|Mira Sucharov|November 22, 2013|DAILY BEAST
As governor of Virginia, McAuliffe is now well positioned to do transactions.
The Dems’ Fork in the Road|David Frum|November 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST

No candidate is as well positioned to appeal to the young and economically insecure.
The Rise of the New New Left|Peter Beinart|September 12, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It was an important thing to her to hear one so well-positioned and powerful speaking in this manner.
Sister Carrie|Theodore Dreiser

British Dictionary definitions for position

position

/ (pəˈzɪʃən) /

noun

the place, situation, or location of a person or thinghe took up a position to the rear

the appropriate or customary locationthe telescope is in position for use

the arrangement or disposition of the body or a part of the bodythe corpse was found in a sitting position

the manner in which a person or thing is placed; arrangement

military an area or point occupied for tactical reasons

mental attitude; point of view; standwhat's your position on this issue?

social status or standing, esp high social standing

a post of employment; job

the act of positing a fact or viewpoint

something posited, such as an idea, proposition, etc

sport the part of a field or playing area where a player is placed or where he generally operates

music

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 positionSee also root position
one of the points on the fingerboard of a stringed instrument, determining where a string is to be stopped

(in classical prosody)

the situation in which a short vowel may be regarded as long, that is, when it occurs before two or more consonants
make position (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

finance the market commitment of a dealer in securities, currencies, or commoditiesa long position; a short position

in a position (foll by an infinitive) able (to)I'm not in a position to reveal these figures

verb (tr)

to put in the proper or appropriate place; locate

sport to place (oneself or another player) in a particular part of the field or playing area

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

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)

rare to locate or ascertain the position of

Derived forms of position

positional, adjective

Word Origin for position

C15: from Late Latin positiō a positioning, affirmation, from pōnere to place, lay down

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

position

OTHER WORDS FOR position

Origin of position

synonym study for position

OTHER WORDS FROM position

Words related to position

How to use position in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for position

Derived forms of position

Word Origin for position