fetal position

noun

1. a bodily posture resembling that of the fetus in the uterus, in which the body is curled with head and limbs drawn in, sometimes assumed in states of fear or emotional withdrawal.

fetal position

noun

1. a bodily position similar to that of a fetus in the womb, with the knees up towards the chest and the head bent forward

Word History and Origins

Origin of fetal position¹

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

Eventually, Ortman said, she fell into the ground and folded her body into a fetal position.

From Washington Post

They did not achieve their goal because most of us continued to sleep in the fetal position and others covered their heads in a fruitless search for heat.

From Washington Blade

Curled up in the fetal position on his bed in Seattle, Rob Kenney was crying out for God.

From Washington Post

A fine example is the circular “Dreamtank,” in which a pastel-skinned female nude in a fetal position is split into four partly overlaid figures.

From Washington Post

Curled into a fetal position on an outdoor, candle-lit matt in Costa Rica, the 18-year-old trembles in fear.

From The Daily Beast

In the fetal position, she begins shivering from the brisk wind.

From The Daily Beast

When Frank finally enters the room, he discovers his wife curled up in the fetal position, naked in the crib.

From The Daily Beast

Williams was found in the curled up in the fetal position inside a red North Face bag in his bath.

From The Daily Beast

Or would it leave me huddled in the fetal position on my bathroom floor two hours later?

From The Daily Beast

The man he'd shot was a motionless blob on the rocky floor, his arms and legs pulled up in a grotesque fetal position.

From Project Gutenberg