2
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position adjectives a comfortable position • She wriggled into a more comfortable position. an awkward position • My foot was in an awkward position. a sitting/kneeling/standing position • The priest rose from his kneeling position by the bed. a foetal position (= in which you are curled up like a baby before it is born ) • I crawled into my bed and curled up in a foetal position. verbs change/shift your position • He shifted his position to get a better view of the stage. pull/drag/haul yourself into a position • She pulled herself into a sitting position. assume/adopt a position formal (= move your body into a particular position ) • The patient should adopt this position for five minutes every half hour. hold a position (= stay in a position ) • Pull in your tummy muscles and hold that position. position 2 adjectives the same position • A lot of people are in the same position. a similar position • You can ask to be put in contact with others in a similar position. a strong/good position (= a situation in which you have an advantage ) • A victory tonight will put them in a very strong position to win the cup. a unique position (= a situation that no one else is in ) • Their close knowledge of the area places them in a unique position to advise on social policy. a difficult/awkward position • I was in the difficult position of having to choose between them. an enviable position (= a situation that other people would like to be in ) • He is in the enviable position of not needing to work. an impossible position (= a very difficult situation ) • She was furious with Guy for putting her in such an impossible position. a weak position (= a situation in which you have a disadvantage ) • Someone who is desperate to sell their house is in a weak position. a vulnerable position (= a situation in which you might be harmed ) • Today we are in the vulnerable position of producing barely half our own food. the present/current position • The following statistics indicate the present position. the legal position (= the situation from a legal point of view ) • The legal position is far from clear. sb’s financial position • Has your financial position changed recently? a bargaining/negotiating position (= someone’s ability to bargain/negotiate ) • The new law has strengthened workers' bargaining position . verbs be in a strong/weak etc position • We are in a good position to help. find yourself in a similar/awkward etc position • The refugee organizations now found themselves in a difficult position. reach a position • It has taken two years to reach the position we are now in. put/place somebody in a good/awkward etc position • I'm sorry if I put you in an awkward position. strengthen sb’s position (= give someone a bigger advantage ) • People said that he used the conflict to strengthen his own position. weaken sb’s position (= give someone a bigger disadvantage ) • The Prime Minister's position had been weakened by allegations of financial mismanagement. sb’s position improves • By March, the Democrats' position had improved. phrases a position of strength (= a strong position ) • By now they were negotiating from a position of strength. position 3 verbs take/hold a position (= have an opinion ) • We take the position that these changes are to be welcomed. adopt a position (= start having an opinion ) • In 1898, the Church adopted its current position. change your position • Since then, the party has changed its position. reconsider your position (= think again about it and perhaps change it ) • The UN Secretary General urged the US to reconsider its position. defend a position • Each of the next three speakers defended a different position. adjectives an official position (= one that a government or organization says officially that it has ) • This was the French government’s official position. an extreme position • Few people hold this extreme position today. a middle position (= one that is between two extreme positions ) • They took a middle position, favouring decentralization but with some controls. a neutral position (= not supporting either side in an argument ) • The US claimed that Jordan had abandoned its neutral position and sided with Iraq. position 4 verbs hold a position (= have it ) • She had previously held a senior position in another school. apply for a position • I decided to apply for the position of head teacher. take up a position (= start doing a job ) • Woods took up a new position as managing director of a company in Belfast. leave a position • He left his position as Chief Conductor of the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra. resign from a position • She has resigned from her position as department secretary. offer somebody a position • They offered me the position of store manager. fill a position (= find someone to do a job ) • We are now seeking to fill some key positions in the company. adjectives a senior position • Decision making is done by managers holding the most senior positions. a junior position • I left school and was offered a junior position in a bank. a permanent/temporary position • It's a temporary position initially, for six months. an official position • He has no official position in the government. position 5 adjectives a position of power/authority • Many used their positions of power for personal advantage. a position of influence • The media have an unrivalled position of influence. a position of trust • As a church leader, he was in a position of trust. a position of responsibility • Did you hold any positions of responsibility at school or university? a position of leadership • She had risen to a position of leadership. a privileged position • The public expects the Royal Family to earn its privileged position. an influential position • It's useful if you have friends in influential positions. a powerful position • Many leaders from that period are still in powerful positions in government. a dominant position • The firm achieved a dominant position in the world market. verbs occupy a position • Those who occupy positions of power do not want democracy. maintain a position (= keep the rank that you have ) • High-status groups do all they can to maintain their positions. use your position • She can now use her position to do some good. abuse your position (= use your level or rank wrongly ) • He abused his position as a doctor.
3
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noun place ADJ. correct, exact | central | geographical | military, strategic | defensive VERB + POSITION take (up) The guards took up their positions on either side of the door. | jostle for Hordes of journalists jostled for position outside the conference hall. | play (sport) What position does he play? PREP. in ~ Fix the pieces in position before gluing them together | into ~ Please get into position. | out of ~ Nakata had to play out of position when the defender was injured. way of sitting, standing, etc. ADJ. comfortable, uncomfortable | crouched, kneeling, sitting | sleeping | horizontal, vertical | foetal VERB + POSITION change situation ADJ. business, economic, financial, legal | dominant, impregnable, strong | favourable, good, ideal, perfect | envious, invidious | competitive | precarious, vulnerable, weak | awkward, difficult, embarrassing, impossible | current, present | bargaining, negotiating | trading the trading position of the British economy VERB + POSITION achieve, attain, reach It has taken years to achieve the position we are now in. | put sb in It put me in an awkward position when he asked me to keep a secret. | strengthen Their obvious desperation strengthens our bargaining position. PREP. in a/the ~ We may be in a position to help you. I was in the embarrassing position of having completely forgotten her name. | ~ of opinion ADJ. extreme | ideological, philosophical, political, theoretical | official The country's official position is that there is no famine in the area. VERB + POSITION adopt, take | defend PREP. ~ on He took an extreme position on religious matters. rank ADJ. first, second, etc. | dominant, high, important, influential, pre-eminent | inferior, lowly They occupy a lowly position in society. | privileged, secure | social VERB + POSITION establish, gain, secure | hold, occupy PREP. ~ among/amongst This latest novel confirms herpre-eminent position amongst today's writers. | ~ in The firm gained a dominant position in the market. PHRASES a position of authority/influence/power job ADJ. full-time, part-time | key, responsible, senior | junior, menial | official | skilled | administrative, management, managerial VERB + POSITION have, hold, occupy | apply for | obtain | fill | offer sb | resign PREP. in a/the ~ How long were you in your previous position? | ~ in/within his new position in the firm | ~ of She was offered the position of sales manager.
4
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verb (often be positioned) ADV. firmly The radiologist firmly positioned Phoebe in front of a ferocious-looking machine. | centrally The markers were not positioned centrally. | carefully | correctly | wrongly | favourably, well | ideally, perfectly, uniquely The company is uniquely positioned to compete in foreign markets. | strategically PREP. at, behind, between, in, in front of, near, on, etc. Police marksmen were positioned on the roof.