posing 1 of 3

adjective

as in pretending

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posing

2 of 3

verb (1)

present participle of pose
as in suggesting
to set before the mind for consideration posed an interesting question for the visiting astronomer

Synonyms & Similar Words

posing

3 of 3

verb (2)

present participle of pose
as in puzzling
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty utterly posed by the barrage of questions

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of posing
Verb
The Houthis have repeatedly attacked airports and oil infrastructure across the kingdom with drones and missiles that can change direction during flight, posing a challenge to interceptors. — ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026 Nearby, Pitch Perfect co-stars Brittany Snow and Anna Kendrick, who set the internet abuzz posing on the red carpet together hours earlier, strolled into the party side by side, both switching into leg-baring dresses. — Kelsey Stewart, Vogue, 18 Oct. 2026 Made of strong, stretchy plastic, the webbing’s thin, hard-to-see strands can cling to animals and become wrapped around their bodies, posing a serious entanglement hazard. — Katie Koschalk, Scientific American, 16 Oct. 2026 Videos and photos shared on social media show Fei with Sokly in a garage with rare, luxury sports cars, and Fei posing in front of a 71-foot yacht imported by Sokly from Singapore, according to customs records. — Isabel Vincent, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026 Our photos — of Leo smiling at the Vatican and posing at scenic overlooks — attest to that. — Jeanne Bonner, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026 In the second picture, Joseph is seen smiling and posing in front of the White House—and his appearance has reminded many of Barron. — Stylecaster Editors, StyleCaster, 16 Oct. 2026 While posing artfully in the store’s shop window, Klara catches the eye of Josie (Mia Tharia), who persuades her mother Chrissie (Amy Adams) to buy her as a companion. — Damon Wise, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026 The men appear to have developed a close relationship and often share pictures together on their socials, including posing together at the 2021 Los Angeles premiere of the Peter Jackson’s Beatles miniseries Get Back (see above). — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 13 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for posing
  1. pretending
  2. suggesting
  3. puzzling
  4. duplicitous
  5. proposing
  6. baffling
  7. hypocritical
  8. offering
Adjective
  • There can be no more pretending, briefing or hiding.
    — Harry De Cosemo, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Definition of pretending
Verb
  • The tests could easily do the opposite, as people with results suggesting cancer require follow-up testing that overwhelms our healthcare system, potentially delaying diagnoses for people with cancer.
    — Torie Bosch, STAT, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The researchers also found evidence that features of both states could briefly coexist, suggesting that their relationship is more complicated than a simple winner-takes-all competition.
    — Sven Badoux, New Atlas, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of suggesting
Verb
  • Researchers are still puzzling through what happened to the ancient Maya civilization, which mysteriously dwindled.
    — Terrence McCoy, Washington Post, 19 Oct. 2026
  • To read her book is to be reminded that childhood can be a puzzling passage for anyone, even in an ostensibly simpler time and place.
    — Danny Heitman, Christian Science Monitor, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of puzzling
Adjective
  • At least Mark Zuckerberg had the decency to be duplicitous, Altman is just openly consumed by the mania of trying to win the most important technological arms race since the atom bomb.
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 6 Oct. 2026
  • In Bird and Goldmark’s account (these collaborators are also married), the nihilistic, amoral, duplicitous, power-seeking Roy Marcus Cohn makes Niccolò Machiavelli seem like a rank amateur.
    — Martin Filler, The New York Review of Books, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of duplicitous
Verb
  • In 2024, Ethiopia signed an agreement with Somaliland, a breakaway region of Somalia, proposing a coastal lease for an Ethiopian naval base.
    — KHALED KAZZIHA, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Even airport authorities are getting in on the action, proposing their own slate of rules for robotaxis.
    — Andrew Hawkins, The Verge, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of proposing
Verb
  • Their admirable determination makes Diamantis’ flight from the United States baffling for us and humiliating for them.
    — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 19 Sep. 2026
  • The sequel, on the other hand, is shaped by baffling decisions from director Susanne Bier and cinematographer Simon Duggan that render the film antiseptic.
    — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of baffling
Adjective
  • The fine was controversial to begin with, as fans and pundits pointed out the NFL’s business with beer sponsors such as Bud Light and called the sensitivity over the celebration hypocritical.
    — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Oct. 2026
  • In his appeal, Juszczyk also argued that fining players for pretending to drink beer was hypocritical given the NFL’s beer sponsorships.
    — Rick Maese, Washington Post, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of hypocritical
Verb
  • Brennan issued a letter offering guidance from a Catholic perspective.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026
  • As of Thursday morning, the government had filed charging documents in 10 of the 28 cases, offering additional details about how authorities relied on voter registration data to pursue broader criminal charges around immigration status.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of offering

Browse Nearby Words

posies
posing
posing (as)
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Cite this Entry

“Posing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/posing. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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