placement

placement — noun

1. a short period of work with a company or other workplace, often arranged so a st

1.nounB2
Definition

a short period of work with a company or other workplace, often arranged so a student can learn the job by doing it.

Example

Sara began a six-week placement at a local hospital in July.

placement at [workplace]

As part of his degree, Ethan did a placement with a software company.

do a placement with [company]

Common collocations
  • summer placement
  • hospital placement
  • student placement
  • industrial placement
  • on placement
Synonyms
  • internship

    broader modern term; not always arranged by a course

  • work experience

    broader and less formal; can include very short observation periods

  • traineeship

    usually more structured and employer-led

Grammar Patterns

do a placement

placement at/with [organization]

on placement

Usage Note

Often tied to a course, degree, or training program rather than a normal full-time job. Common verbs are 'do', 'start', 'accept', and 'complete'.

Common Mistakes

I did placement at a hospital last summer.
I did a placement at a hospital last summer.
use the article when you mean one specific work period.

2. the formal process of deciding where a person should live, study, or work, and a

2.nounC1
Definition

the formal process of deciding where a person should live, study, or work, and arranging that place for them.

Example

The agency handled Mia's placement with a foster family in Tainan.

placement with [family]

After the test, the school changed Daniel's placement to a smaller class.

school placement

Common collocations
  • school placement
  • foster placement
  • class placement
  • job placement
  • placement decision
Synonyms
  • assignment

    general word; can refer to tasks as well as places

  • allocation

    more formal; often used in administration

  • posting

    used mainly for sending someone to a job location

Grammar Patterns

placement in [class/home/job]

placement with [family]

decide someone's placement

Usage Note

Common with schools, care agencies, courts, and employers that decide where someone belongs. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is the decision or arrangement, not the work period itself.

Common Mistakes

The school gave Elena a placement to study chemistry.
The school gave Elena a placement in the advanced chemistry class.
this sense assigns someone to a place, class, home, or job, not to a subject in general.

3. the exact spot of an object, or the way it has been set in relation to things ar

3.nounB2
Definition

the exact spot of an object, or the way it has been set in relation to things around it.

Example

The careful placement of the candles made the table look wider.

placement of [object]

Emma checked the placement of each photo before hanging the frame.

Common collocations
  • careful placement
  • correct placement
  • speaker placement
  • placement of furniture
  • placement of lights
Synonyms
  • position

    nearest general word for where something is

  • arrangement

    broader; often refers to several things together

  • layout

    used for the overall plan of a room, page, or space

Grammar Patterns

placement of [object]

careful/correct placement

placement in [space]

Usage Note

Usually followed by 'of' when you name the thing being positioned. Common in design, room setup, photography, and technical instructions.

Common Mistakes

I like this chair placement in the room.
I like the placement of this chair in the room.
normally use 'placement of' before the object.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For the job sense, placement is close to internship, work experience, apprenticeship, and traineeship, but the focus is slightly different. A placement is usually a limited period arranged by a school, college, or training program, and the point is to learn through real work. An internship is a broader modern term and is common in business, media, and technology; it may be linked to study, but it does not have to be. Work experience is the broadest phrase and can even mean a few days of observation. An apprenticeship is much longer and trains someone for a skilled trade. A traineeship is structured training with clearer employer goals. You can do a summer placement at a hospital, but start an apprenticeship as an electrician.

placement ↗internship ↗work experienceapprenticeship ↗traineeship

Etymology

GreekLatinOld FrenchEnglish

Placement was formed in English from place plus the noun ending -ment. Place came through Old French from Latin platea, originally meaning a broad street or open public area, and in English it developed the sense of putting someone or something somewhere. The ending -ment was widely used to make nouns for actions and results, so placement first meant the act of putting or assigning, then extended to the modern senses of arranging jobs, schools, homes, and physical position.