If someone is in the fetal position, their body is curled up like a fetus in the womb.
[US]
She lay in a fetal position, turned away from him to the wall.
fetal position in British English
noun
a bodily position similar to that of a fetus in the womb, with the knees up towards the chest and the head bent forward
fetal position in American English
a position resembling that of the human fetus in the uterus, in which the arms and legs of a person lying on one side are drawn in to the chest and the head is bent down
Examples of 'fetal position' in a sentence
fetal position
She climbed on to the bed and curled into a fetal position, her hands clasped tightly against her stomach.
Lawson, Jonell ROSES ARE FOR THE RICH (2001)
Sarah had curled herself somehow into a fetal position in the other armchair and was watching the exchange intently.
Peter Robinson AFTERMATH (2001)
He drew up his knees and rolled into a fetal position facing the concrete wall.