position

1 of 2

noun

po·​si·​tion pə-ˈzi-shən How to pronounce position (audio)
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

position

2 of 2

verb

positioned; positioning pə-ˈzi-sh(ə-)niŋ How to pronounce position (audio)

transitive verb

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

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
His first day in the honorary position was Jan. 1 of this year. Isha Trivedi, The Mercury News, 17 Mar. 2024 But inflation could indeed stall, which would put the Fed in the difficult position of having to cut rates in the fall with the 2024 US presidential election on November 5. Bryan Mena, CNN, 17 Mar. 2024 Their struggle to score with runners in scoring position translated in both languages. Bryce Miller, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Mar. 2024 But prosecutors argued that Mr. Duong hid his connections to Chinese officials, even though his business card listed his provincial adviser positions. Yan Zhuang, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2024 According to the judge’s decision: Police claim Cole had a gun in his hands when Mensah shot him but officers had conflicting testimony as to the position of his body at the time of the shooting and where the gun was pointed. Bridget Fogarty, Journal Sentinel, 15 Mar. 2024 In 2022, Jackson was among the finalists for the superintendent's position in the Little Rock School District. Mallory Wyatt/texarkana Gazette, arkansasonline.com, 15 Mar. 2024 Since opening in 2021, Hotel Saint Vincent has earned several accolades, including a spot on the It List in 2022 and the top position in the 2023 World’s Best Awards. Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 15 Mar. 2024 According to multiple sources, the Panthers are expected to address the center position at some point during the offseason. Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 5 Mar. 2024
Verb
But in 2014 BuzzFeed was flush with venture capital and positioning itself as the digital future of media. Molly Fischer, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024 The Chinese startup, founded in 2014, has long positioned itself as a premium brand. Lionel Lim, Fortune Asia, 18 Mar. 2024 Led by Khan, the FTC in 2022 sued to block Meta from buying game developer Within in a lawsuit advancing relatively untested and novel theories arguing that antitrust laws account for actions taken by a firm that is not yet a monopolist but is positioned to become one. Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2024 On paper at least, the deal made sense: once the show began airing—slated for next week—Musk could position the ex-CNN journalist as a solid counterpart to former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, with each able to reach a different political demographic and maximize engagement. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2024 Buchman says that a transcontinental US flight, for example, might use anything between one and all five of the Viasat satellites positioned nearest North America. Julia Buckley, CNN, 9 Mar. 2024 Dotson started 14 games at right guard and played extremely well, positioning himself as perhaps the top pending unrestricted free agent offensive lineman. Austin Knoblauch, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024 The promotion to president and COO (a position that did not exist previously) positions Ahuja as a likely successor to Vinciquerra, though a source noted that the SPE CEO is not expected to leave his post anytime soon. Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2024 Moreover, Manieri positions Lucia’s life as a counternarrative to Rocco’s. Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 5 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'position.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1817, in the meaning defined above

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

Dictionary Entries Near position

Cite this Entry

“Position.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/position. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

position

1 of 2 noun
po·​si·​tion pə-ˈzish-ən How to pronounce position (audio)
1
a
: the manner in which something is placed or arranged
b
: a certain arrangement of the body
exercise while in a sitting position
2
: a stand taken on a question
3
: the point or area occupied by something
4
a
: one's rank in an organization or in society
positional
-ˈzish-(ə-)nəl
adjective

position

2 of 2 verb
positioned; positioning -ˈzish-(ə-)niŋ How to pronounce position (audio)
: to put in a certain position
Etymology

Noun

Middle English posycion "position," from early French posicioun (same meaning), from Latin positio "position," from ponere "to put, place" — related to compound entry 1

Medical Definition

position

1 of 2 noun
po·​si·​tion pə-ˈzish-ən How to pronounce position (audio)
: 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
positional adjective

position

2 of 2 transitive verb
: to put in proper position

More from Merriam-Webster on position

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