WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
ap•po•si•tion /ˌæpəˈzɪʃən/USA pronunciation
n. [uncountable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Grammar in apposition, (of two consecutive nouns in a sentence) referring to the same person or thing. In the sentence "Washington, our first president, was born in Virginia'', the nouns Washington and our first president are in apposition
ap•po•si•tion
(ap′ə zish′ən),USA pronunciation n.
ap′po•si′tion•al, adj.
ap′po•si′tion•al•ly, adv.
- the act of placing together or bringing into proximity;
juxtaposition. - the addition or application of one thing to another thing.
- Grammara syntactic relation between expressions, usually consecutive, that have the same function and the same relation to other elements in the sentence, the second expression identifying or supplementing the first. In Washington, our first president, the phrase our first president is in apposition with Washington.
- Cell Biology[Biol.]growth of a cell wall by the deposition of new particles in layers on the wall. Cf. intussusception (def. 2).
- Latin apposit(us) (see apposite) + -iōn- -ion
- Late Latin appositiōn- (stem of appositiō)
- late Middle English apposicioun 1400–50
ap′po•si′tion•al•ly, adv.
'appositional' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):