posture

verb

postured; posturing

transitive verb

: to cause to assume a given posture : pose

intransitive verb

1

: to assume a posture

especially : to strike a pose for effect

2

: to assume an artificial or pretended attitude : attitudinize

These automata, posturing in their little brief authority as persons of importance …

—George Bernard Shaw

posturer

ˈpäs-chər-ər 

noun

Did you know?

The Latin verb ponere, meaning "to put" or "to place," had a role in putting quite a few English terms into place, including component, dispose, expose, impose, oppose, posit, position, positive, postpone, and, yes, posture. The past participle of ponere—positus—gave Latin the noun positura, which has the same meaning as the English noun posture. Positura passed through Italian and Middle French and was finally adopted by English speakers as posture in the late 16th century. The verb posture later developed from the noun, finding its place in English at around the midpoint of the 17th century.

Examples of posture in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Investigators reviewed surveillance video of the altercation, which showed Hared and Cariif postured to fight and that Hared threw the first punch. —Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 29 May 2026

Back in April, The Athletic asked Petersen whether a World Cup strike was truly on the table, or posturing to drive up bargaining positions. —Adam Crafton, New York Times, 29 May 2026

In my experience, the timing is right when expectations have been properly framed, emotions have settled, the parties have demonstrated seriousness, and there is more to gain from collaboration than from posturing. —Allen Buchanan, Oc Register, 23 May 2026

Yet Leavitt appeared to suggest that Iran is merely posturing publicly. —Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 8 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1645, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for posture

• imposture

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Kids Definition

posture

1 of 2 noun

pos·​ture ˈpäs-chər 

1

: the position of one part of the body with relation to other parts : the general way of holding the body

2

: a particular condition or state

a country's defense posture

postural

-chə-rəl

adjective

posture

2 of 2 verb

postured; posturing

: to take a particular posture : pose

Medical Definition

posture

noun

pos·​ture ˈpäs-chər 

1

: the position or bearing of the body whether characteristic or assumed for a special purpose

erect posture

2

: a conscious mental or outward behavioral attitude