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
He was later seen posing, pointedly, in front of a Kraft Sports & Entertainment sign backstage. — Chris Willman, Variety, 3 Oct. 2026 While some fall days may seem warm, the water can be significantly colder than air temperature, posing hazards for boaters, officials said. — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 1 Oct. 2026 The photos showed the Lincoln football players posing behind the counter and drive-thru window dressed in their football uniforms and helmets. — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026 Hummin Lee, at center, another man and a woman are seen posing in a hotel room in Beijing, in a photo from a text message John Rogers sent to Lee on June 16, 2019. — Eamon Javers, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2026 Treasury described him as the engineer of malware used in the attacks and said he has been photographed posing with proceeds from the scheme. — Antonio Maria Delgado, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2026 Perhaps the most sickening part of the entire encounter is that both Oleynik and Kravchenko are seen holding the turtle's hatchlings, posing for photos and smiling as if everything is cool. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 29 Sep. 2026 In the photos, the teenager could be seen wearing a pink and white dress, posing in front of her outdoor dinner party. — Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 28 Sep. 2026 Leo, who dedicated his first encyclical to AI and protecting humanity in its wake, was asked during a press conference about what the United States and China especially should be doing to prevent AI from posing catastrophic risks to humanity. — ABC News, 28 Sep. 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 presidential candidates who came in third, fourth, and fifth place are all right-wing, suggesting that Bolsonaro could have a natural pool of voters to draw from in the runoff.
    — Catherine Osborn, NPR, 4 Oct. 2026
  • The gulf diplomat said the investigation, which hasn’t concluded, hasn’t found any connections with militant groups, suggesting the copilot acted on his own.
    — Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of suggesting
Verb
  • Overrun with puzzling plot points, several cameos and a bloated supporting cast, the series fails to stick the landing.
    — Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Around the Street -The financial press is doing an admirable job of puzzling through the confluence of causes of the brutal global bond-market rout, without pretending to arrive at a discrete cause.
    — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of puzzling
Adjective
  • 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
  • But as with any good Leonard story, the best moments come from the characters, a rogues’ gallery of violent ruffians and neurotic, duplicitous scoundrels.
    — Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of duplicitous
Verb
  • Norway's government wants to get a handle on both the promise and peril of AI glasses, and is proposing that parliament enact a temporary ban on them in some places.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Norway’s government wants to get a handle on both the promise and peril of AI glasses, and is proposing that parliament enact a temporary ban on them in some places.
    — Jamey Keaten, Los Angeles Times, 5 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
  • Californian Fred Karger, who made history in 2012 as the first openly gay person to run for president, had mixed views about the ad, calling it shrewd yet hypocritical.
    — Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Some churches have rightly been accused of being partisan, hypocritical and discriminatory toward women and minorities.
    — John Blake, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of hypocritical
Verb
  • The sink, for example, was part of an extra-long counter along one of the walls, offering plenty of extra room to stow my skincare and travel essentials.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Poland also has over 86,000 places of refuge offering a lower level of protection such as basements, underground garages or subway stations, and catering for around 23 million people.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 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 7 Oct. 2026.

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