arrangement

American  

[uh-reynj-muhnt] / əˈreɪndʒ mənt /

noun

1. an act of arranging; state of being arranged.

2. the manner or way in which things are arranged.

   a tactful arrangement of the seating at dinner.

3. a final settlement; adjustment by agreement.

   The arrangement with the rebels lasted only two weeks.

4. Usually arrangements. preparatory measures; plans; preparations.

   They made arrangements for an early departure.

5. something arranged in a particular way.

   a floral arrangement; the arrangement of chairs for the seminar.

6. Music.

   1. the adaptation of a composition to voices or instruments, or to a new purpose.

   2. a piece so adapted.

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idioms

1. final arrangements, the planning or scheduling of funeral services and burial.

   Final arrangements are still pending.

arrangement British  

/ əˈreɪndʒmənt /

noun

1. the act of arranging or being arranged

2. the form in which things are arranged

   he altered the arrangement of furniture in the room

3. a thing composed of various ordered parts; the result of arranging

   a flower arrangement

4. (often plural) a preparatory measure taken or plan made; preparation

5. an agreement or settlement; understanding

6. an adaptation of a piece of music for performance in a different way, esp on different instruments from those for which it was originally composed

7. an adaptation (of a play, etc) for broadcasting

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Other Word Forms

• rearrangement
  noun

Etymology

Origin of arrangement

From French, dating back to 1720–30; see origin at arrange, -ment

Explanation

When you organize things in an orderly way, the result is called an arrangement. If you admire your friend's arrangement of his living room furniture, you might go home and make a similar arrangement. Your brother might keep an arrangement of Lego creations on his desk, and you could put an arrangement of wildflowers in a vase in the middle of your kitchen table. Another kind of arrangement is one you make when you negotiate an agreement with another person: "We have an arrangement — she gives me a ride to school and I walk her dog in the afternoon." The Old French root, arengier, means "to set in a row."

Example Sentences

U.K. and Australia, the Quantum Arrangement known as AQuA is already accelerating joint military quantum capabilities.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

The two nations signed a Trade and Investment Framework Arrangement together in 2021, and two-way trade between Australia and Bangladesh now stands at more than $2.67 billion, up from about $200 million a decade back.

From Seattle Times • May 21, 2024

She was passed on to another company, which signed her up to an Individual Voluntary Arrangement - a court-approved debt solution in which debts are combined into a single monthly payment.

From BBC • Jul. 24, 2023

European Union countries share a common trade policy and generally use the Wassenaar Arrangement to determine which exports are restricted on security grounds.

From Reuters • Jun. 30, 2023

I am not well pleased by the Arrangement since we is in some kind Culvert & I am in continual Fears of us all being washed away by Floods.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson

Related Words

• adjustment
• agreement
• compromise
• deal
• package
• plan
• preparation
• provision
• schedule
• settlement