pose
Forms
- Plural
- poses
- present (v1)
- pose
- past (v2)
- posed
- past participle (v3)
- posed
- present participle
- posing
- 3rd person singular
- poses
Definitions
1.Position, posture, arrangement (especially of the human body).
- Please adopt a more graceful pose for my camera.
2.Affectation.
1.To place in an attitude or fixed position, for the sake of effect.
- To pose a model for a picture.
2.To ask; to set (a test, quiz, riddle, etc.).
3.To constitute (a danger, a threat, a risk, etc.).
- Rather, they are concerned with the threat Iran poses to the region and the world.
- The threat the most radical of them pose is evidently far greater at home than abroad.
- Rooney's United team-mate Chris Smalling was given his debut at right-back and was able to adjust to the international stage in relatively relaxed fashion as Bulgaria barely posed a threat of any consequence.
4.To falsely impersonate (another person or occupation) primarily for the purpose of accomplishing something or reaching a goal.
Frequency
Overall
Uncommon· #2531
By learning goal
- Everyday conversation
- Rare
- General reading & writing
- Uncommon
- Academic
- Rare
- Literature
- Rare
Etymology
From Middle English pose, from Old English ġeposu pl (“cold in the head; catarrh”, literally “(the) sneezes; (the) snorts”), from Old English pos, ġepos (“sneeze, snort”), from Proto-West Germanic *pos, from Proto-Germanic *pusą (“sneeze, snort”), from Proto-Germanic *pusōną, *pusjaną (“to snort, blow”), from *pus- (“to blow, breathe hard”), from Proto-Indo-European *bew- (“to blow, swell”).