Pose means to position yourself or hold your body in a particular way, especially for a photograph or painting. When a photographer says “strike a pose,” they want you to arrange yourself in an interesting or attractive position. Athletes often pose with their trophies after winning, standing tall and proud for the camera.

The word also means to present or create something, particularly a question or problem. A teacher might pose a difficult question to the class, asking students to think carefully before answering. A clever thief poses a serious challenge to the detectives trying to catch him. Scientists pose hypotheses that they then test through experiments.

Pose can also mean to pretend to be something you're not. Someone might pose as a doctor even though they never went to medical school, which is dishonest and dangerous. An imposter is someone who poses as someone else to gain trust or access to places they shouldn't.

As a noun, a pose is the position itself: a ballet dancer holds a graceful pose, or a superhero strikes a powerful pose with hands on hips and chest out. The key idea connects all these meanings: pose involves presenting or positioning something (or someone) in a deliberate way.