fetal position
noun
: a position (as of a sleeping person) in which the body lies curled up on one side with the arms and legs drawn up and the head bowed forward and which is assumed in some forms of psychic regression
Examples of fetal position in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
He was last seen on the video stumbling toward the basement stairs again, and he was found in the February morning curled up in a fetal position at the bottom of the steps without a shirt on.
—
Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 24 Aug. 2025
More than a dozen graves have been discovered, with the deceased buried in a fetal position with their arms crossed on their chests, experts said in the release.
—Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 19 Aug. 2025
In the ensuing hours, Hernandez asked several times to go home, said the officers were trying to trick him, sobbed, clutched at his stomach, lay on the floor in a fetal position, had a fentanyl patch placed on his chest to treat his chronic pain, and mentioned his mental illness diagnoses.
—Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, 28 July 2025
Now sit tall, with your legs crossed, or remain curled up in the fetal position—sorry, the unborn person position, as I’m now legally required to call it.
—Jena Friedman, New Yorker, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for fetal position
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 24 Aug. 2025
More than a dozen graves have been discovered, with the deceased buried in a fetal position with their arms crossed on their chests, experts said in the release.
—Lauren Liebhaber, Miami Herald, 19 Aug. 2025
In the ensuing hours, Hernandez asked several times to go home, said the officers were trying to trick him, sobbed, clutched at his stomach, lay on the floor in a fetal position, had a fentanyl patch placed on his chest to treat his chronic pain, and mentioned his mental illness diagnoses.
—Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, 28 July 2025
Now sit tall, with your legs crossed, or remain curled up in the fetal position—sorry, the unborn person position, as I’m now legally required to call it.
—Jena Friedman, New Yorker, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for fetal position
Cite this Entry
“Fetal position.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fetal%20position. Accessed 6 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share