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

For Latinas in positions of power, something as simple as wearing hoop earrings can feel like a small rebellion against the status quo. — Frances Solá-santiago, Glamour, "What Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Hoop Earrings Mean to Latina Women Like Me," 11 Jan. 2019 Thanks to the European Space Agency’s Gaia spacecraft, which has been charting star positions in the Milky Way since 2013, Tremblay and his team were able to analyze 15,000 white dwarfs at varying stages of their cooling evolution. — Jill Kiedaisch, Popular Mechanics, "When the Sun Dies, a Giant Crystal Will Take Its Place," 11 Jan. 2019 They were designed by costume designer Arianne Phillips, and meant to be part of the TIMESUPx2 campaign, marking the second year of the movement, as well as a call to double the number of women in leadership positions across industries. — Christian Allaire, Vogue, "How Hollywood Spotlit #TimesUp at This Year’s Golden Globes," 7 Jan. 2019 Women are over represented in many low paying jobs but under represented in leadership positions across nearly every industry. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "Ryan Seacrest Faces Backlash for Wearing 'Time's Up' Bracelet on Golden Globes Red Carpet," 7 Jan. 2019 Celebrating the second year of the movement, the campaign looks back on the organization's progress thus far and also calls to double the number of women in leadership positions across all industries. — Lauren Alexis Fisher, Harper's BAZAAR, "Celebrities to Wear Time's Up Ribbons and Bracelets at 2019 Golden Globes," 6 Jan. 2019 To see where the Christmas comet is located today, check out EarthSky or University of Maryland's charts, which show the comet's daily position in the sky. — Taylor Mead, House Beautiful, "How To See The Christmas Comet Before It's Too Late," 17 Dec. 2018 After Palmer Luckey’s exit, Iribe got shuffled out of the CEO position and was heading up the PC division of Oculus. — Hayden Dingman, PCWorld, "This week in games: Alan Wake is back on sale after a 17 month absence, Layers of Fear 2 announced," 26 Oct. 2018 Moms and dads can adjust its height, convert its setup into a series of positions, and even reverse the seat to face in or out. — Jessica Leigh Mattern, Country Living, "Here's Where to Buy the Super-Popular Stroller Joanna Gaines Uses for Baby Crew," 21 Oct. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The Vive Cosmos seems like the more consumer-focused of the two, and like it’s being positioned as an Oculus Quest competitor. — Hayden Dingman, PCWorld, "HTC reveals two new VR headsets, the untethered Vive Cosmos and gaze-tracking Vive Pro Eye," 7 Jan. 2019 Now professors at Houston's Rice University say that the state is uniquely positioned to shift entirely towards solar and wind energy. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "Texas Could Easily Generate Most of Its Energy Through Wind And Solar, Study Finds," 3 Jan. 2019 This valuable spectrum, controlled by private investors, has been tied up in a bureaucratic standoff for nearly a decade, ever since the global-positioning industry, which operates in nearby bands, began yelping about interference. — Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, "Is Airwave Nimbyism Holding Back 5G?," 7 Dec. 2018 The mural is positioned on the southwest corner of Main and 5th streets. — Dennis Sullivan, Daily Southtown, "New mural in Crete opens a window into historic building's past," 6 July 2018 And the two people perhaps best positioned to make injection sites happen, Governor Charlie Baker and Mayor Marty Walsh — both of whom have otherwise been strong advocates for confronting the opioid addiction crisis — have expressed skepticism. — Nestor Ramos, BostonGlobe.com, "A practical plan for fighting overdoses — but not in Massachusetts," 1 May 2018 As the biggest drug makers jockey for assets and juggle their pipeline prospects, which ones appear best positioned to pass muster with credit watchers? — Ed Silverman, STAT, "As biosimilars emerge, the credit outlook for big pharma is going to change," 26 Apr. 2018 Megabank Goldman Sachs is also positioned to make money off of Opportunity Funds. — Emily Stewart, Vox, "Ivanka Trump reportedly advocated for a tax break she and Jared Kushner could profit from," 12 Dec. 2018 The grid fins are positioned near the base of the rocket and are used in combination with the rocket nozzles to steer the booster during landing. — Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, "SpaceX Rocket Misses Landing Pad and Falls into the Ocean," 5 Dec. 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

18 Jan 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