position

noun po·si·tion \ pə-ˈzi-shən \

|Updated on: 8 Jun 2018

Examples: position in a Sentence

Definition of position

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

3 a : 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

5 a : 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

See position defined for English-language learners

See position defined for kids

Examples of position in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of position from the Web

Issues have become extreme positions; any change or compromise becomes a threat.

— charlotteobserver, "Ashley Christensen," 5 June 2018
Starks hasn't advocated political positions as an FCC staffer.

— jon brodkin, Ars Technica, "Trump grants Democrats’ request for a new FCC commissioner," 4 June 2018
The rebuild is progressing swimmingly, with the Phillies jockeying for position near the top of the National League East.

— scott lauber, Philly.com, "Phillies bracing for their next best shot at finding an impact player in this week's draft," 4 June 2018
The trend in baseball is to have players play multiple positions.

— john fay, Cincinnati.com, "Scooter Gennett would consider the outfield as part of long-term deal with Cincinnati Reds," 4 June 2018
In the race to deploy driverless public transport, Singapore has built a mini town that could vault it into pole position.

— kyunghee park, Bloomberg.com, "Singapore Built a Dedicated Town for Self-Driving Buses," 4 June 2018
Such a changing situation makes forecasting the player — or position — of the first pick impossible.

— chandler rome, Houston Chronicle, "Astros enter 2018 MLB Draft with No. 28 pick and different mindset," 3 June 2018
Defending Funny Car champion Robert Hight won for the first time in 2018 after struggling to 12th position during qualifying.

— tony baranek, Daily Southtown, "Clay Millican doubles his pleasure in JEGS Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway," 3 June 2018
Rising redshirt junior Ryan McMahon can also play both guard positions and figures to play a key role in the rotation.

— jeff greer, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville basketball lands Richmond graduate transfer Khwan Fore," 2 June 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.

Origin and Etymology of position

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

position Synonyms

Synonyms

appointment, berth, billet, capacity, connection, function, job, place, post, situation;

Near Antonyms

avocation;

joblessness, unemployment;

work;

office, spot;

calling, pursuit, trade, vocation;

line, racket;

engagement, gig;

livelihood, living;

career, lifework, practice (also practise);

duty, mission, posting, service, task;

position

verb

Definition of position

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

transitive verb

: to put in a certain position

positioned the chairs around the room

positioned the company in the global market

See position defined for English-language learners

Examples of position in a Sentence

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 of position from the Web

Democrats also hope to position themselves to gain seven GOP House seats in California districts won by Hillary Clinton in 2016.

— sahil kapur, Bloomberg.com, "Democrats Target House Seats in California, New Jersey, Iowa," 6 June 2018
Communities that strategically position themselves in the economic development marketplace as sustainable places to live and do business are more likely to be successful engines of innovation, business development, and employment growth.

— charlotteobserver, "Ashley Christensen," 5 June 2018
The deal is the latest in a series of moves by Microsoft to position itself as a champion of open source.

— klint finley, WIRED, "Microsoft’s GitHub Deal Is Its Latest Shift From Windows," 4 June 2018
And that reputation helped position him to make a run for the presidency.

— Time, "The Sensational Murder Trial That Showed Off Abraham Lincoln's Skill as a Lawyer," 4 June 2018
Launched in 2013, Hinge used user Facebook connections to match potential couples and has positioned itself as a way for people to meet long-term partners.

— andrew liptak, The Verge, "Hinge will no longer require you to log in via Facebook," 2 June 2018
Murphy overcame heavy favorite Walz by piling up critical endorsements from unions such as AFSCME Council 5 and the Service Employees International Union while positioning herself as the more liberal and energizing choice.

— youssef rddad, The Seattle Times, "Johnson and Murphy win Minnesota governor endorsements," 2 June 2018
On the one hand, there’s Gillibrand — long thought to be a contender for the presidential nomination in 2020 — who has positioned herself as a strong supporter of women’s rights.

— li zhou, Vox, "Sen. Gillibrand said Bill Clinton should’ve resigned over Monica Lewinsky. Clinton disagrees.," 1 June 2018
China, North Korea's longtime ally and chief trading partner, has sought to position itself as a key intermediary in talks over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program.

— christopher bodeen and hyung-jin kim, chicagotribune.com, "Top North Korean official heads to U.S. for pre-summit talks," 30 May 2018

First Known Use of position

1817

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

position Synonyms

POSITION Defined for English Language Learners

position

noun

Definition of position for English Language Learners

: 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

Definition of position for English Language Learners

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

POSITION Defined for Kids

position

noun po·si·tion \ pə-ˈzi-shən \

Definition of position for Students

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 1

Word Root of position

The Latin word ponere, meaning “to place” or “to put,” and its form positus give us the roots pon and pos. Words from the Latin ponere have something to do with putting. A position is the location or way in which something has been placed. To expose is to put out in the open. To postpone is to put off until a later time. Posture is the way a body has been placed.

position

verb

Definition of position for Students

positioned; positioning

: to put in a particular place or arrangement

He positioned the helmet on his head.

Medical Dictionary

position

noun po·si·tion \ pə-ˈzish-ən \

medical Definition of position

: a particular arrangement or location; specifically : an arrangement of the parts of the body considered particularly desirable for some medical or surgical procedure