position

noun

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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

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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 Cons: Late to recognize what the offense is doing and will get caught out of position. — USA TODAY, "2021 NFL draft inside linebacker rankings: Penn State's Micah Parsons headlines top LB prospects," 28 Apr. 2021 The Lightning usually have been faster to pucks and more intimidating in board battles and in front of the net, but the Hawks repeatedly were caught out of position (or too slow getting there). — Phil Thompson, chicagotribune.com, "5 takeaways from the Chicago Blackhawks’ 7-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, including Adam Boqvist’s star-crossed season ending and Kevin Lankinen looking like a rookie," 28 Apr. 2021 And that involves having a sort of hegemonic position in Asia. — CBS News, "China expert Chris Johnson on Biden administration's approach to Beijing - on "Intelligence Matters"," 28 Apr. 2021 Gregor banked a shot off an out-of-position Darcy Kuemper after the Arizona goalie turned over the puck behind his net at 0:17. — Ross Mckeon, San Francisco Chronicle, "Sharks give fans reason to cheer: Win over Coyotes ends skid at 8," 26 Apr. 2021 My biggest concern is about putting an unelected person in charge of a very powerful position. — Sanya Mansoor, Time, "Georgia's Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger Defends Controversial Election Law," 26 Apr. 2021 The coach is eager to get more out of the position with Bellinger complimented by sophomore Jay Rudolph and redshirt freshman Aaron Greene. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Aztecs safety Patrick McMorris making impression in bid for starting spot," 25 Apr. 2021 With the keeper out of position, Hyndman rammed his shot off the side of the goal and crumpled to the turf in disbelief. — Paul Newberry, ajc, "Barco, Hyndman goals lead Atlanta United past Chicago 3-1," 25 Apr. 2021 The puck slipped off Yegor Sharangovich's stick and went to Hughes, who beat an out-of-position DeSmith. — Dan Scifo, Star Tribune, "Crosby, Rust score as Penguins defeat Devils 4-2," 24 Apr. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb With a boost from his recent surge, Westbrook is on a course to average a triple-double for the fourth time in five seasons, which in theory should position him as an M.VP. — New York Times, "Russell Westbrook Makes Triple-Doubles Look Easy. They’re Not.," 28 Apr. 2021 For now, Smith and Engram have taken advantage of the extra work this spring to position themselves for greater roles in 2021. — Jeff Potrykus, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Two inexperienced cornerbacks are taking advantage of a chance to give Wisconsin valuable depth," 19 Apr. 2021 The Red Sox give every defender a cheat sheet with how to position for opposing hitters. — BostonGlobe.com, "Southern California has become baseball central," 17 Apr. 2021 If anyone has figured out how to position a corporation as a socially conscious neighbor who still chases profit while keeping useful lawmakers close without appearing to fund their disinformation, there’s money to be made in D.C. right now. — Philip Elliott, Time, "Corporations Struggle to Back Voting Rights and Protect the Bottom Line," 13 Apr. 2021 This will be a good start to understanding how the competitors position themselves differently to normal clients than to white-label clients. — Jay Bae, Forbes, "How Becoming Or Working With An SEO Reseller Can Benefit Digital Marketing Agencies," 19 Mar. 2021 Death rates have dropped significantly, in part because of improvements in strategies such as knowing when to put a patient on a ventilator and how to position them in a hospital bed. — Sara Reardon, Scientific American, "For COVID Drugs, Months of Frantic Development Lead to Few Outright Successes," 13 Nov. 2020 But whereas Surtain became a master technician in college to position himself to become a potential top-10 pick in April, Campbell is too often undone by his own missteps. — Michael Middlehurst-schwartz, USA TODAY, "10 boom-or-bust prospects in 2021 NFL draft: Trey Lance, Zach Wilson leave question marks," 17 Apr. 2021 These are powerful reminders that tech startups should position themselves to take advantage of the dramatic growth in the industry over the next year. — Yec, Forbes, "How European Startups Can Successfully Move To The U.S.," 15 Apr. 2021

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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Last Updated

30 Apr 2021

Cite this Entry

“Position.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/position. Accessed 10 May. 2021.

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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