composition

American  

[kom-puh-zish-uhn] / ˌkɒm pəˈzɪʃ ən /

noun

• compositions
  plural

1. the act of combining parts or elements to form a whole.

2. the resulting state or product.

3. manner of being composed; structure.

   This painting has an orderly composition.

4. makeup; constitution.

   His moral composition was impeccable.

5. an aggregate material formed from two or more substances.

   a composition of silver and tin.

6. a short essay written as a school exercise.

7. the act or process of producing a literary work.

8. an academic course for teaching the techniques of clear, expository writing.

9. the art of putting words and sentences together in accordance with the rules of grammar and rhetoric.

10. a piece of music.

11. the art of composing music.

12. Fine Arts. the organization or grouping of the different parts of a work of art so as to achieve a unified whole.

13. Grammar. the formation of compounds or derivatives.

    the composition of “aircraft” from “air” and “craft.”

14. a settlement by mutual agreement.

15. an agreement or compromise, especially one by which a creditor or group of creditors accepts partial payment from a debtor.

16. a sum of money so paid.

17. Printing.

    1. the setting up of type for printing.

    2. Also called pagination. the makeup of pages for printing.

18. Mathematics. the process of making a composite function of two given functions.

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composition British  

/ ˌkɒmpəˈzɪʃən /

noun

1. the act of putting together or making up by combining parts or ingredients

2. something formed in this manner or the resulting state or quality; a mixture

3. the parts of which something is composed or made up; constitution

4. a work of music, art, or literature

5. the harmonious arrangement of the parts of a work of art in relation to each other and to the whole

6. a piece of writing undertaken as an academic exercise in grammatically acceptable writing; an essay

7. printing the act or technique of setting up type

8. linguistics the formation of compound words

9. logic the fallacy of inferring that the properties of the part are also true of the whole, as every member of the team has won a prize, so the team will win a prize

10. 1. a settlement by mutual consent, esp a legal agreement whereby the creditors agree to accept partial payment of a debt in full settlement

    2. the sum so agreed

11. chem the nature and proportions of the elements comprising a chemical compound

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• compositional
  adjective
• compositive
  adjective
• compositionally
  adverb
• compositively
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• compositions
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of composition

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English composicioun, from Anglo-French, from Latin compositiōn-, stem of compositiō “arrangement, placement together”; equivalent to composite + -ion

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Explanation

Composition is another word for writing — the act of writing or the piece of writing that results. It also refers to what something is made of. The word composition comes from the Latin componere, meaning "put together" and its meaning remains close to this. Writing classes are often called composition classes, and writing music is also called composition. This can also describe things besides writing that are "put together." You could say an abstract painting has an interesting composition. Any mixture of ingredients can be called a composition. Geologists study the composition of the earth: what it's made of and how it formed.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

composition compositions

"Even with the right composition of bacteria in your gut, the foods you eat to nourish those populations can determine whether or not you respond to treatment," said Quail.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2026

Charter Amendment PRT would change the composition of the Los Angeles World Airport’s board of commissioners, which oversees Van Nuys and Los Angeles International airports.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026

As on the first two records by the band, the third side of “The Same Place” contains a lengthy composition assembled from scraps.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026

The researchers found a notable association between the composition of the gut microbiome and DunedinPACE, an advanced biomarker that measures the pace of biological aging.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 27, 2026

June 4.1 got A on my composition today.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith

Another is that their surfaces somehow retain their original compositions even after collisions.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 2, 2026

The plaintiffs’ lawyers noted in their filing that at least a half dozen suits currently pending in federal court in San Francisco related to musical compositions being improperly used to train artificial intelligence.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 25, 2026

He also weaves in a number of Ukrainian folk melodies and an Orthodox funeral chant, as well as stylistic allusions to a trio of Soviet-era compositions by Prokofiev during a scene of Russian indoctrination.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026

Either Mg-suite magmas formed on the far side without substantial involvement from KREEP-rich material, or the layer containing these elements developed unevenly across the Moon, leaving the two hemispheres with different chemical compositions.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026

I mean if you're good at writing compositions and somebody starts talking about commas.

From "The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger

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