Meaning & use
powerpose
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Meanings
verbintransitive
To hold a confident, open body position on purpose in order to feel more powerful or less nervous.
Grammar: No object; you powerpose or powerpose before something: She powerposed before the interview.
Patterns
- powerpose before something
- powerpose for a few minutes
- powerpose in front of a mirror
She likes to powerpose for two minutes in the bathroom before a big meeting.
Some speakers powerpose backstage to calm their nerves.
He powerposed with his hands on his hips and immediately felt more in control.
nouncountable
A deliberately confident, expansive way of standing or sitting, such as with the arms spread wide.
Grammar: Countable: a powerpose, several powerposes; often written as two words, a power pose.
Patterns
- strike a powerpose
- hold a powerpose
- a classic powerpose
Standing with your feet apart and hands on your hips is a classic powerpose.
She held the powerpose for a full minute before walking on stage.
Coaches sometimes teach a powerpose as a quick way to look and feel more assured.
Word forms
| third person singular | powerposes |
|---|---|
| past tense | powerposed |
| past participle | powerposed |
| -ing form | powerposing |
| plural | powerposes |
Common combinations
- strike a powerpose
- He struck a powerpose just before the cameras started rolling.
- hold a powerpose
- Try to hold the powerpose while you breathe slowly.
- powerpose before a meeting
- I always powerpose before a meeting to settle my nerves.
- the powerpose effect
- Studies of the powerpose effect have produced conflicting results.
- a classic powerpose
- Arms wide and chin up is a classic powerpose.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
Commonly confused: powerpose or power pose?
powerpose vs power pose
The same idea written as two words; many style guides prefer this spelling in formal writing.
Practice
Which sentence uses "powerpose" correctly?
Choose one answer.
"Powerpose" is intransitive, so it takes no object: you powerpose for a time or before an event. Options with a direct object (her speech, her arms) are wrong, and option 3 suggests dancing, which is not the meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “powerpose”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.