position

noun

po·si·tion | \pə-ˈzi-shən

Definition of position

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : an act of placing or arranging: such as

a : the laying down of a proposition or thesis

b : an arranging in order

2 : a point of view adopted and held to made my position on the issue clear

3a : the point or area occupied by a physical object : location took her position at the head of the line

b : a certain arrangement of bodily parts rose to a standing position

4 : a market commitment in securities or commodities also : the inventory of a market trader

5a : relative place, situation, or standing is now in a position to make decisions on his own

b : social or official rank or status

c : an employment for which one has been hired : job a position with a brokerage firm

d : a situation that confers advantage or preference

position

verb

positioned; positioning\pə-ˈzi-sh(ə-)niŋ

Definition of position (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to put in a certain position positioned the chairs around the room positioned the company in the global market

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about position

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Examples of position in a Sentence

Noun

From this position, you can see all of New York City's skyline. Actors, please assume your positions. The show is about to begin. The child fell asleep in a sitting position. I was in an uncomfortable position and had to move. I was uncomfortable, so I shifted position. Return your seat to an upright position for landing.

Verb

He positioned the chairs around the table. The company is positioning itself to take advantage of a new market. The shortstop was positioned well to make the play. She positioned herself by the door.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Though the 6-foot-8 Parker, 23, has alternated between power and small forward, the Bulls’ initial plan is to start him at small forward, a position of need. — K.c. Johnson, chicagotribune.com, "Bulls on the verge of signing Jabari Parker," 13 July 2018 As more women came forward, corporate America began to contend with allegations of misconduct by men in positions of power. — Sara Randazzo, WSJ, "The Sexting Scandal That Toppled One of America’s Most Powerful Lawyers," 13 July 2018 At a breakfast forum on Thursday at the New Albany Country Club, with its high ceilings and portraiture of dogs and horses, the candidates engaged in civil debate and essentially staked out orthodox positions of their parties. — Michael Tackett, New York Times, "Door-Knocking Democrat Tries to Break G.O.P. Grip in Ohio Special Election," 13 July 2018 From that information a series of algorithms is then able to determine the position of things like bone, fat, cartilage and other tissues, which are then colorized. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Check Out These Awesome New 3D, Full-Color X-Rays," 13 July 2018 Putin from a position of strength & demonstrate there will be a price to pay for his ongoing aggression. — CBS News, "Russia dismisses indictment as attempt to "spoil" Trump-Putin meeting," 13 July 2018 Gerrard used gaming technology to create a virtual world that mimics the positions of the sun, in real time, over the Solar Reserve site during the course of a year. — Deborah Vankin, latimes.com, "LACMA debuts its 'Solar Reserve,' a digital sculpture addressing energy conservation," 12 July 2018 The commission ruled on July 5 that Delashaw, who was featured in a Seattle Times investigation about Swedish Health’s neuroscience unit, must submit to three years of oversight and cannot be employed in a position of medical leadership. — Sandi Doughton, The Seattle Times, "Former Swedish surgeon Johnny Delashaw gets his license back, with restrictions," 10 July 2018 Labels and people in positions of power pay lip service to supporting LGBTQ artists. — Henry Youtt, Billboard, "Years & Years' Olly Alexander Talks 'Casual Homophobia' in The Music Industry: It 'Exists in the Fabric of Everything'," 10 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Sometimes you are positioned to reshuffle in the offseason. — Ira Winderman, Sun-Sentinel.com, "ASK IRA: Do Heat have to be mindful of protecting future cap space?," 10 July 2018 It is positioned along the ramp to attract the attention of wrong-way drivers, most of whom are impaired, officials said. — Angela Forburger, azcentral, "I-17 warning system detects first wrong-way driver on travel lanes," 5 July 2018 On July 10, Jupiter will finally turn direct, so from July 10 – November 8, you will be well positioned for a serious commitment and a very exciting one with such a strong Jupiter. — Rebecca Gordon, Harper's BAZAAR, "How to Find Summer Romance According to the Stars," 21 June 2018 With a six-core Intel processor and Nvidia 10-series graphics as the standard configuration, it's positioned to make the mightiest Mac notebook look downright antique. — Brendan Nystedt, WIRED, "The Best Mac Alternatives," 13 June 2018 Artists are doing what has been done with their art for centuries, only now they are positioned on the front end of the profit chain. — Gaile Robinson, star-telegram, "The Modern goes big and bright with international art star Murakami retrospective," 8 June 2018 Christie said her son couldn't fully see his father because of the way they were positioned on opposite sides of the car. — Jim Riccioli, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Here's what authorities say happened leading up to a massive manhunt for Jonathan Pogreba in Eagle," 7 June 2018 The colleges recognized that they were powerfully positioned to transmit different cultural messages to applicants and their parents. — Rachel Cohen, The Atlantic, "An Unusual Idea for Fixing School Segregation," 23 May 2018 While Power may still be a long ways off from catching the legendary Andretti, there's no denying he's comfortably positioned heading into Saturday's race. — Jim Ayello, Indianapolis Star, "Will Power on pole for IndyCar's Grand Prix: 'It's probably my favorite road course'," 11 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'position.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

History and Etymology for position

Noun

Middle English posycion, from Anglo-French posicioun, from Latin position-, positio, from ponere to lay down, put, place, from Old Latin *posinere, from po- away (akin to Old Church Slavonic po-, perfective prefix, Greek apo away) + Latin sinere to leave — more at of

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Dictionary Entries near position

Phrases Related to position

in a compromising position

in a position of authority

Statistics for position

Last Updated

11 Oct 2018

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for position

The first known use of position was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for position

position

noun

English Language Learners Definition of position

(Entry 1 of 2)

: the place where someone or something is in relation to other people or things

: the place where someone or something should be

: the way someone stands, sits, or lies down

position

verb

English Language Learners Definition of position (Entry 2 of 2)

: to put (something or someone) in a particular position

See the full definition for position in the English Language Learners Dictionary

position

noun

po·si·tion | \pə-ˈzi-shən

Kids Definition of position

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : the way in which something or someone is placed or arranged The seat is in the upright position.

2 : a way of looking at or considering things What's your position on the issue?

3 : the place where a person or thing is or should be They took their positions on stage.

4 : the situation that someone or something is in Your request puts me in an awkward position.

5 : the rank or role a person has in an organization or in society She rose to a position of leadership.

6 : job sense 1

position

verb

positioned; positioning

Kids Definition of position (Entry 2 of 2)

: to put in a particular place or arrangement He positioned the helmet on his head.

position

noun

po·si·tion | \pə-ˈzish-ən

Medical Definition of position

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a particular arrangement or location specifically : an arrangement of the parts of the body considered particularly desirable for some medical or surgical procedure knee-chest position the prone position