I. pose 1 W3 AC /pəʊz $ poʊz/ BrE AmE verb
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: poser , from Late Latin pausare 'to stop, rest' , from Latin pausa ; ⇨ ↑ pause 2 ]
1 . CAUSE PROBLEM [transitive] to exist in a way that may cause a problem, danger, difficulty etc
pose a threat/danger/risk
Officials claim the chemical poses no real threat.
pose something to/for somebody/something
The events pose a challenge to the church’s leadership.
Rising unemployment is posing serious problems for the administration.
2 .
PICTURE [intransitive] to sit or stand in a particular position in order to be photographed or painted, or to make someone do this
pose for
We posed for photographs.
3 . pose a question to ask a question, especially one that needs to be carefully thought about:
In her book she poses the question ‘How much do we need to be happy?’.
4 . pose as somebody to pretend to be someone else, in order to deceive people:
Bryce was caught posing as a lawyer.
5 . TO IMPRESS PEOPLE [intransitive] to dress or behave like a rich and fashionable person in order to make other people notice you or admire you
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ nouns
▪ pose a threat/danger/risk
The chemical leak poses a threat to human health.
▪ pose a problem
A flood of refugees could pose a serious problem for neighbouring countries.
▪ pose difficulties
Physical education and games pose difficulties for short-sighted children.
▪ pose a challenge
The material being taught must pose a challenge to pupils.
▪ pose a dilemma (=cause a situation in which it is very difficult to decide what to do)
In the future, the possibility of genetic testing on unborn children will pose a dilemma for parents.
II. pose 2 AC BrE AmE noun [countable]
1 . the position in which someone stands or sits, especially in a painting, photograph etc
in a pose
a painting of the Duchess in a dramatic pose
Ann struck a pose (=stood or sat in a particular position) and smiled for the camera.
2 . behaviour in which someone pretends to have a quality or social position they do not really have, usually in order to make other people notice them or admire them:
Her confidence was merely a pose to hide her uncertainty.