Meaning & use
key position
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Meanings
nouncountable
A job or role that is very important to the success of a group or organization.
Grammar: Countable, so use a/an or a plural: she holds a key position; they filled three key positions.
Patterns
- hold a key position
- a key position in something
- fill a key position
After the manager left, the company had to fill several key positions quickly.
She holds a key position in the research team, so everyone asks her before making changes.
Good communication skills matter in a key position like this one.
nouncountablesport
An important place in a sports team, especially one that strongly affects how the team plays.
Grammar: Common in sports reports, usually with in or for: a key position in midfield.
Patterns
- play in a key position
- a key position in midfield
- a key position for the team
He plays in a key position in midfield, linking defense and attack.
Injuries left the club short of players in key positions.
The coach moved her to a key position just before the final.
Word forms
| plural | key positions |
|---|
Common combinations
- hold a key position
- He has held a key position at the bank for over ten years.
- fill a key position
- It took them months to fill that key position.
- a key position in the team
- She earned a key position in the team after a strong season.
- key positions in the government
- Several key positions in the government are still empty.
- leave a key position
- He decided to leave his key position and travel for a year.
Synonyms and how they differ
- important role
- More general and often used for parts people play in events or projects, not paid jobs.
- senior post
- Suggests high rank and usually a formal, permanent job rather than importance to a team.
- vital spot
- Stronger and more informal, often about a single crucial place in a plan or lineup.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: key position or key role? key position or position key?
key position vs key role
'Key role' usually describes what someone does in a situation or process, while 'key position' names the job or place itself.
key position vs position key
Word order matters in English: the describing word 'key' comes before the noun, so say 'key position', not 'position key'.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'key position' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'A key position' keeps the article before the adjective plus noun, and 'a' matches the singular noun. Option 1 wrongly adds a plural ending, option 2 puts the article in the wrong place, and option 3 reverses the word order.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “key position”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.