arrange
Americanverb (used with object)
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to place in proper, desired, or convenient order; adjust properly.
to arrange books on a shelf.
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to come to an agreement or understanding regarding.
The two sides arranged the sale of the property.
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to prepare or plan.
to arrange the details of a meeting.
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Music. to adapt (a composition) for a particular style of performance by voices or instruments.
verb (used without object)
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to make plans or preparations.
They arranged for a conference on Wednesday.
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to make a settlement; come to an agreement.
to arrange with the coal company for regular deliveries.
verb
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(tr) to put into a proper, systematic, or decorative order
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(tr; may take a clause as object or an infinitive) to arrive at an agreement or understanding about; settle
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to make plans or preparations in advance (for something)
we arranged for her to be met
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(tr) to adapt (a musical composition) for performance in a different way, esp on different instruments
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(tr) to adapt (a play, etc) for broadcasting
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to come to an agreement
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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arrangeableadjective
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arrangernoun
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rearrangeverb
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well-arrangedadjective
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rearrangeableadjective
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overarrangeverb
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unarrangedadjective
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has arrangedperfect 3rd person singular
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have arrangedperfect
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has been arrangingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am arrangingprogressive 1st person singular
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are arrangingprogressive
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arrangingparticiple
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is arrangingprogressive 3rd person singular
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arrangessingular 3rd person
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have been arrangingperfect progressive
Past
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had arrangedperfect
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were arrangingprogressive plural
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was arrangingprogressive singular
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had been arrangingperfect progressive
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arrangedsimple
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arrangedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of arrange
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English arayngen, from Middle French arangier; equivalent to a- 5 + range
Explanation
Think it might be fun to be a party planner? These highly organized people arrange everything from invitations to music, food, even the lighting in the room, meaning they put everything in order. At a concert, you look in your program to see what piece is next. There's a title, followed by the composer's name. Under that is another name, preceded by "arranged by." What does that mean? Every piece was originally written with a certain instrument or instruments in mind. In order for that music to be played by other instruments, it first has to be adapted, meaning someone has to arrange it. A symphony for kazoos? You can arrange that.
Vocabulary lists containing arrange
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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List 1
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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.
My husband and I arrange to collect my grandparents Sue and Ed from their apartment just south of Sunset Boulevard, which marks the boundary of the current evacuation area.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026
They are also investigating more sophisticated ways to arrange atoms within the system and exploring the full range of quantum states that their method may be capable of producing.
From Science Daily • Jun. 6, 2026
The hospital would not authorize a transfer or arrange to send her in an ambulance, and it offered no explanation for why.
From Salon • May 27, 2026
He also helped arrange last year’s visit by Donald Trump Jr. and the late Charlie Kirk.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 22, 2026
He had helped Mama arrange Shavuot for the entire village, rasping out orders.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
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.
