The Meaning of Pose: What It Is and How To Use It

Do you know the definition of pose? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the word pose, including its definition, usage, examples, and more!

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What does the word pose mean?

According to Collins English Dictionary and the American Heritage Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, the word pose can be used as a noun or a verb. As a verb, this can mean to suggest or ask, to put forth or pur forward, or to take on a certain position or attitude. The word pose is used as a noun to refer to some bodily attitude that is held for the purposes of art or photography. The pronunciation of the word pose is pəʊz. Related words and derivatives include pause, appose and oppose, and one could add the suffixes ing and ed to the word pose to form different tenses of the verb like the past participle, past tense, or present participle. 

What are synonyms and antonyms of the word pose?

Many different words in the English language have the same meaning as the word pose. These are called synonyms, which are used in place of the word pose. Synonyms are a great English language tool you can learn to expand your vocabulary and avoid repeating yourself in written and spoken English. This list of synonyms of pose is provided by Power Thesaurus.

  •  propose
  •  placing
  •  show off
  •  proffer
  •  represent
  •  dumbfound
  •  put on
  •  place
  •  fake
  •  bemuse
  •  attitudes
  •  modeling
  •  display
  •  create
  •  show
  •  puzzle
  •  laid
  •  flummox
  •  presents
  •  mystify
  •  confound
  •  present
  •  put
  •  face
  •  model
  •  affectation
  •  stand
  •  raise
  •  perplex
  •  constitute
  •  airs
  •  gravel
  •  put on airs
  •  nonplus
  •  strike an attitude
  •  obfuscate
  •  sham
  •  guise
  •  outward show
  •  sits
  •  putting
  •  attitudinizing
  •  sitting
  •  acts
  •  false show
  •  personate
  •  posture
  •  asked
  •  lay
  •  disguise
  •  carriage
  •  front
  •  asking
  •  amaze
  •  false front
  •  pretense
  •  bewilder
  •  air
  •  behave affectedly
  •  strike a pose
  •  puts
  •  stick
  •  play-acting
  •  submit
  •  attitude
  •  cause
  •  set
  •  beat
  •  stance
  •  baffle
  •  posturing
  •  pass off
  •  advance
  •  arrange
  •  impersonate
  •  bearing
  •  fox
  •  peacock
  •  put forward
  •  impersonating
  •  bluff
  •  suggest
  •  dissimulate
  •  sit
  •  stupefy
  •  grandstand
  •  propound
  •  discombobulate
  •  masquerade
  •  position
  •  act
  •  pretend
  •  fog
  •  facade
  •  feign
  •  appearance
  •  attitudinize
  •  mannerism
  •  posing
  •  affectedness

There are also numerous different words that mean the opposite of the word pose (pōz). These opposite words are called antonyms. Antonyms are another great way to expand your English language vocabulary and knowledge of different English words. This list of antonyms of pose is also provided by Power Thesaurus.

  •  provide the information
  •  put in the picture
  •  explain the situation to
  •  sort out
  •  bring up to speed
  •  give an explanation of
  •  illuminate
  •  describe
  •  open someone’s eyes
  •  give information to
  •  demonstrate
  •  give details
  •  provide a picture
  •  provide a sense
  •  supply information
  •  give an indication
  •  provide a clue
  •  provide insight
  •  give information
  •  give a sense
  •  give insight
  •  gain insight
  •  explain
  •  shed light on
  •  clear up
  •  enlighten
  •  move
  •  gain insight into
  •  advise
  •  make it clear
  •  describe the state of affairs to
  •  give an idea
  •  provide an idea
  •  throw light on
  •  shed some light
  •  make clear
  •  give an overview
  •  shed light
  •  resolve
  •  define
  •  explicate
  •  spell out
  •  provide an indication
  •  provide details
  •  clue in
  •  apprise
  •  give details to
  •  bring up to date
  •  brief
  •  explain the circumstances to

How can the word pose be used in a sentence?

The word pose can be used in many different ways in the English language. Using words in sentences is a great way to memorize their definitions. You can also try making flashcards or quizzes to test your knowledge. Below are several examples of pose. Try using this word of the day in a sentence today!

Leonardo the painter had the model pose nude for artistic purposes. Her bodily attitude was open and free, and she was a joy to paint. He posed her in different suitable positions and they enjoyed the art they created together, and they continued to create paintings and sculptural work together. 

The newbie detective posed an answer to the difficult question – a bloodhound to find the scent of the missing children. She was shut down by the others on the force who had a mental attitude of judgment, but her instincts ended up being correct. It turned out that the head detective had fraudulent intentions.

Catarrh, the inflexible student, could not do the yoga pose with a flat foot, and instead had to assume the desired position in demi-pointe for the sake of effect.

In the upper classes, the dancer steps into the pose with a straight knee, but his weak ankle caused him to bobble. His body was in a suitable position, but he could not maintain it. He had to cease dancing.

The czar’s daughter, Asana, looked like a total fool in front of her peers when she posed that they try to solve the mystery on campus themselves. It was a vexing problem that she was going to solve no matter what with a particular attitude and a note of defiance. 

What is the origin of the word pose?

According to Etymonline, the word pose (poʊz) has been used since the late 14c in the Middle English posen. This word comes from the Middle French poser and Old French poser. These French terms come from the Late Latin pausāre/Late Latin pausare, from the Latin Latin pausa. These are also the sources of the Italian posare and Spanish posar. This Latin term is a Vulgar Latin alteration of opposen, a variant of oppose and past participle of poser, used in the sense of Latin appōnere. This comes from the Latin pōnere/Latin ponere, as well as the Proto-Indo-European pos.

Overall, the word pose means a studied attitude, assumed posture, or physical attitude. This word can be used as a noun or a verb. It can also mean to ask or suggest.

Sources:

  1. Pose synonyms – 1 584 Words and Phrases for Pose | Power Thesaurus 
  2. Pose antonyms – 331 Opposites of Pose | Power Thesaurus 
  3. Pose definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary 
  4. pose | Origin and meaning of pose | Online Etymology Dictionary