pose Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun affected manners intended to impress others
    airs.
    • don't put on airs with me
  2. noun a posture assumed by models for photographic or artistic purposes
  3. noun a deliberate pretense or exaggerated display
    affectation; mannerism; affectedness.
  4. verb introduce
    present.
    • This poses an interesting question
  5. verb assume a posture as for artistic purposes
    posture; model; sit.
    • We don't know the woman who posed for Leonardo so often
  6. verb pretend to be someone you are not; sometimes with fraudulent intentions
    personate; impersonate.
    • She posed as the Czar's daughter
  7. verb behave affectedly or unnaturally in order to impress others
    posture.
    • Don't pay any attention to him--he is always posing to impress his peers!
    • She postured and made a total fool of herself
  8. verb put into a certain place or abstract location
    set; place; lay; put; position.
    • Put your things here
    • Set the tray down
    • Set the dogs on the scent of the missing children
    • Place emphasis on a certain point
  9. verb be a mystery or bewildering to
    mystify; perplex; bewilder; get; beat; puzzle; amaze; vex; baffle; flummox; stick; stupefy; gravel; nonplus; dumbfound.
    • This beats me!
    • Got me--I don't know the answer!
    • a vexing problem
    • This question really stuck me

WordNet

Po`sé" adjective (Also<
  • Pose
  • Posé
)
Etymology
F., placed, posed.
Definitions
  1. (Her.) Standing still, with all the feet on the ground; -- said of the attitude of a lion, horse, or other beast.
Pose noun
Etymology
AS. gepose; of uncertain origin; cf. W. pas a cough, Skr. kas to cough, and E. wheeze.
Definitions
  1. A cold in the head; catarrh. Obs. Chaucer.
Pose noun
Etymology
F. pose, fr. poser. See Pose, v. t.
Definitions
  1. The attitude or position of a person; the position of the body or of any member of the body; especially, a position formally assumed for the sake of effect; an artificial position; as, the pose of an actor; the pose of an artist's model or of a statue.
Pose transitive verb
Etymology
F. poser to place, to put, L. pausare to pause, in LL. also, to place, put, fr. L. pausa a pause, Gr. , fr. to make to cease, prob. akin to E. few. In compounds, this word appears corresponding to L. ponere to put, place, the substitution in French having been probably due to confusion of this word with L. positio position, fr. ponere. See Few, and cf. Appose, Dispose, Oppose, Pause, Repose, Position.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Posed ; present participle & verbal noun Posing
Definitions
  1. To place in an attitude or fixed position, for the sake of effect; to arrange the posture and drapery of (a person) in a studied manner; as, to pose a model for a picture; to pose a sitter for a portrait.
Pose intransitive verb
Definitions
  1. To assume and maintain a studied attitude, with studied arrangement of drapery; to strike an attitude; to attitudinize; figuratively, to assume or affect a certain character; as, she poses as a prude.
    He . . . posed before her as a hero. Thackeray.
Pose transitive verb
Etymology
Shortened from appose, for oppose. See 2d Appose, Oppose.
Definitions
  1. To interrogate; to question. Obs. "She . . . posed him and sifted him." Bacon.
  2. To question with a view to puzzling; to embarrass by questioning or scrutiny; to bring to a stand.
    A question wherewith a learned Pharisee thought to pose and puzzle him. Barrow.

Webster 1913