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

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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

That puts the show in a strange position for its fifth season, which comes to Netflix on June 5. — Judy Berman, Time, "Black Mirror Used to Be a Terrifying Vision of the Future. Season 5 Is Just Silly," 5 June 2019 Begin in a table-top position with your shoulders stacked above wrists and hips over knees. — Ashley B. Greenblatt, https://www.inquirer.com, "4 exercises to prevent summer sports injuries," 4 June 2019 Hawley said Apple is in a position to act before lawmakers do -- but congressional action is an option. — Cat Zakrzewski, Washington Post, "The Technology 202: Apple may not be able to escape political peril in Washington anymore," 4 June 2019 The position of Grand Master of the Order was created in 1937 and was occupied by the Queen Mother until her death in 2002. — PEOPLE.com, "Why Kate Middleton Was Wearing a Blue Sash to the State Banquet at Buckingham Palace," 4 June 2019 The fact remains that this is an opportune time for someone in his position to jump ship. — John Cassidy, The New Yorker, "Trump’s Top Economist Makes a Timely Exit," 4 June 2019 The Avalanche, coming off a second-round playoff run for the first time since 2008, is in the position to win and stocked with 20-somethings. — Mike Chambers, The Denver Post, "Why the Colorado Avalanche and Jeff Skinner are a great fit in free agency," 3 June 2019 Tibbits put himself in position to qualify by opening the day with a 5-under 67, tied for first in the 55-man field. — oregonlive.com, "Oregon State sophomore Spencer Tibbits qualifies for U.S. Open at Pebble Beach," 3 June 2019 Before resigning, Hartley also had the position of secretary on the school board. — Mayra Cruz, Houston Chronicle, "Cy-Fair ISD board selects new board member," 3 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Additional police officers arrived on the scene and positioned themselves around the residence. — Geoff Bruce, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "A Germantown man told police officers to 'come and get me' before firing a round with his pistol, complaint says," 4 June 2019 Her immense success with Kylie Cosmetics has a lot to do with her ambition and savviness, but according to David, Kylie's chart also positioned her for a very prosperous year. — Carolyn Twersky, Seventeen, "Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott's Birth Charts Reveal When It's Likely That They'll Have Another Kid," 22 May 2019 Ivanka Trump has caught a lot of flak for refusing to speak out about controversial issues like family separation, despite positioning herself as a champion for women and children. — Glamour, "Chrissy Teigen Had a Lot to Say About Ivanka Trump’s ‘Lack of Empathy’," 11 Apr. 2019 Squeeze your shoulder blades together, keep your chest lifted, and position yourself about one to two feet in front of your bench. — Jenny Mccoy, SELF, "How to Strengthen Your Core and Lower Body With Box Squats Like Rumer Willis," 24 Jan. 2019 Eberling got the idea for M:NI after noticing how deaf concertgoers would position themselves in front of the speakers, the better to absorb the vibrations. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "New wearable tech lets users listen to live music through their skin," 25 Nov. 2018 Brands may fill their campaigns with a racially diverse cast of models, position themselves as inclusive, but a trip to their stores tells a different story. — Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, "Shopping While Black: Why I’m No Longer Afraid to Call Time on Racial Profiling," 29 Aug. 2018 Ever since former Mayor Greg Stanton announced his plans to run for Congress in October, Phoenix has been in flux as two council members positioned themselves to replace him. — Jessica Boehm, azcentral, "Phoenix City Hall shake-up: What happens when Valenzuela, Gallego resign?," 10 July 2018 This wouldn’t have been nearly as cool had Hicks airmailed McCann or if McCann positioned himself poorly. — Tom Verducci, SI.com, "Nine Innings: How Bryce Harper Is Trying to Revive His Season, What We Learned in the First Half and More," 9 July 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

Statistics for position

Last Updated

7 Jun 2019

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