choreograph

American  

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

verb (used with object)

• choreographs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• choreographed,
  past participle,  past
• choreographing
  present participle

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.

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verb (used without object)

• choreographs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• choreographed,
  past participle,  past
• choreographing
  present participle

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)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• rechoreograph
  verb (used with object)
• unchoreographed
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• choreographing
  present
• choreographed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• choreograph
  simple
• choreographs
  simple
• have choreographed
  perfect
• has choreographed
  perfect
• am choreographing
  progressive
• are choreographing
  progressive
• is choreographing
  progressive
• have been choreographing
  perfect progressive
• has been choreographing
  perfect progressive

Past

• choreographed
  simple
• had choreographed
  perfect
• was choreographing
  progressive
• were choreographing
  progressive
• had been choreographing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will choreograph
  simple
• will have choreographed
  perfect
• will be choreographing
  progressive
• will have been choreographing
  perfect progressive

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

See Examples For:

choreograph choreographs choreographed choreographing

According to Talbot, intimacy coordinators have three jobs: to advocate, to coordinate and to choreograph.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026

How will Team Burnham choreograph the moment where he walks up to the lectern to address the country?

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026

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

Rishi watched his brother choreograph the new dance, getting 360-degree video shots of Dimple and Rishi dancing.

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon

Ms. Colker choreographs the singers as well as the dancers, creating a visual movement that matches the flow of Ms. Frank’s music, just as the set and costume colors echo its luxuriant hues.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026

But this film choreographs every person in the room with their own agenda, personality and character.

From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2024

And AI choreographs drawing instantly on astrodynamics and physics datasets, Col.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 25, 2023

Goff Sr. is central to “After Sherman,” but the director also choreographs a poignant tango between his personal journey with his formidable father and the lives of a people and a region.

From New York Times ● Jun. 1, 2023

The 25-minute underwater routines that Smith choreographs demand that performers swim with playfulness and ease, while also balancing the buoyancy of the mermaid tail and timing to go up for air.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2022

A humanoid’s frantic attempts to stay upright—arms flailing, legs skittering—bears an uncanny resemblance to the choreographed collapses of Charlie Chaplin or Buster Keaton.

From Slate ● Sep. 27, 2026

None of that is what this summit, so carefully choreographed, is built to produce.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

By placing the camera behind Abrams so it was "swinging around to look at what he's looking at," he choreographed it such that it "feels video game-like" from that first-person perspective.

From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026

Carrick's United instead look to escape pressure through trios of players passing the ball between each other in a less choreographed manner.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

The dancelike pose of Apollo and graceful torsion of Daphne create the impression that they are moving in a carefully choreographed ballet.

From "History of Art, Volume 1" by H.W. Janson

David’s genius as a narrator and propagandist was in choosing the most emotionally charged episode in a story and choreographing it to contrast the responses of the protagonists.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 29, 2025

Music was blasting from a speaker under the low trees where a troop of elderly ladies were choreographing a fan dance routine.

From BBC ● Dec. 28, 2025

Teresa ‘Toogie’ Barcelo, known for choreographing ‘New Rules,’ blends somatic therapy and improvisation in an unconventional L.A. movement workshop.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2025

“A lot of the show is really about the catharsis of opening up to the community around oneself,” Peck, who is directing and choreographing the show, said in an interview.

From New York Times ● Mar. 19, 2024

We spent the rest of the morning choreographing steps around fire hydrants and mailboxes.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee