choreograph

American  

[kawr-ee-uh-graf, -grahf, kohr-] / ˈkɔr i əˌgræf, -ˌgrɑf, ˈkoʊr- /

verb (used with object)

1. to provide the choreography for.

   to choreograph a musical comedy.

2. to manage, maneuver, or direct.

   The author is a genius at choreographing a large cast of characters.

---

verb (used without object)

1. to work as a choreographer.

choreograph British  

/ ˈkɒrɪəˌɡræf /

verb

1. (tr) to compose the steps and dances for (a piece of music or ballet)

---

Other Word Forms

• rechoreograph
  verb (used with object)
• unchoreographed
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of choreograph

First recorded in 1875–80; back formation from choreography

Explanation

To choreograph is to make a dance, designing each move for a dancer to perform. Some dancers choreograph their own dances, although usually a choreographer does it. A dance, whether ballet or bhangra, is made up of a sequence of movements and steps — when you plan those movements, you choreograph. You might also choreograph other kinds of routines, like figure skating, cheerleading, or a marching band performance. You can even use the word to describe planning things that don't involve physical movement: "My managers are control freaks, they'll probably choreograph the whole meeting." The Greek roots are khoreia, "dance," and graphein, "to write."

Example Sentences

But for Beijing, which likes to carefully choreograph such events to avoid any possibility of embarrassment, Trump's free-wheeling style is proving a challenge.

From Barron's • Mar. 14, 2026

He played a part in the government’s bailout of AIG, a major insurer, and helped choreograph JPMorgan’s acquisition of Bear Stearns, an investment bank brought to its knees by the crisis.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

An instructor once joked we should choreograph a routine where my feet never touched the ground.

From Salon • Jan. 1, 2026

Under the direction of Kim Noble, this touring production from Washington, D.C.’s Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company found ways to choreograph the simultaneous activities of disparate audience members into a lyrical theatrical patchwork.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 21, 2025

Unfortunately, this theory would also retroactively outlaw choreograph, diagnose, resurrect, edit, sculpt, sleepwalk, and hundreds of other verbs that have become completely unexceptionable.

From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker