Missionary Position Definition & Meaning

American

British

Etymology

Examples

missionary position American [mish-uh-ner-ee puh-zish-uhn] / ˈmɪʃ ə nɛr i pəˌzɪʃ ən /

noun

1. a face-to-face sex position in which the person who is being penetrated lays flat on their back, while the person who is penetrating them lays on top of them.

missionary position British

noun

1. informal a position for sexual intercourse in which the man lies on top of the woman and they are face to face

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of missionary position

First recorded in 1945–50; so called because it was allegedly advocated by Christian missionaries working among Indigenous peoples

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Yoga is for telling strangers that you can do missionary position, and also, like, eight of the other ones.

From New York Times

They may adopt the Church Lady posture if anyone mentions sex that doesn’t involve one man, one woman, the missionary position and a pulsing desire for more offspring.

From Salon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.