composer

American  

[kuhm-poh-zer] / kəmˈpoʊ zər /

noun

• composers
  plural

1. a person or thing that composes.

2. a person who writes music.

3. an author.

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composer British  

/ kəmˈpəʊzə /

noun

1. a person who composes music

2. a person or machine that composes anything, esp type for printing

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• composers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of composer

First recorded in 1555–65; compose + -er ¹

Explanation

A composer is an artist who writes music to be played or performed by musicians. A classical composer might work by writing out musical notation and trying things out on the piano. If you're a composer, you most likely write classical, jazz, music for film, or another type of primarily instrumental music, without lyrics. A writer of popular or rock music is more likely to be called a "songwriter." A composer might compose symphonies as a profession, or write short tunes as a hobby. In Old French, composer means "put together, arrange, or write," from com-, "with," and poser, "to place."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

composer composers

In addition to Mosaku’s Academy Award nomination for supporting actress, “Sinners’” Oscars haul included wins for filmmaker Ryan Coogler, star Michael B. Jordan, cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw and composer Ludwig Göransson.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

US composer Sondheim and playwright James Lapine created the original musical, which debuted on Broadway in 1984.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

In addition to the orchestra, the composer had a chorus at his disposal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

He was a founding member and principal composer of the World Saxophone Quartet, one of the defining groups of that era.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026

Of the generation that followed Beethoven, Chopin was the composer whose influence was slowest to make its impact.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

The bill, AB 2319, is aimed at supporting the industry’s editors, sound mixers, composers and visual effects artists.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026

The regulator quickly confirmed that the works were by composers who really were dead and no fees were required.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026

Even odder is that many of the composers did not necessarily feel compelled to explore nationalist themes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

Despite the art form’s foreign origins, composers such as Antonín Dvořák, George Gershwin and Charles Ives have managed to convey our country’s spirit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

For children, there are many appropriate picture books and even videos on the lives and music of the most famous composers.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

Related Words

• writer