fetal position

noun

: a position (as of a sleeping person) in which the body lies curled up on one side with the arms and legs drawn up and the head bowed forward and which is assumed in some forms of psychic regression

Examples of fetal position in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

She was balled up tight in a fetal position, her backpack shielding her as stones, dirt and granite chunks, some as large as bricks, rained down. —Paul Hockenos, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Jan. 2025

Another video appeared to show a group ganging up on a woman lying on the ground in the fetal position while others attempted to break up the crowd. —Louis Casiano, Fox News, 30 Dec. 2024

But this is no time to curl into the fetal position. —Ethan Karp, Forbes, 25 Nov. 2024

Picking up on the slight indications of a crush with a teenager’s inimitable attunement, Elsa makes her sister’s life hell, teasing her about her love of Gennaro until Dede is crying in a fetal position in her room. —Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1887, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

fetal position

noun

: a position (as of a sleeping person) in which the body lies curled up on one side with the arms and legs drawn up toward the chest and the head is bowed forward and which is assumed in some forms of psychological regression