compose
Americanverb (used with object)
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composes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
composed,
past participle, past
-
composing
present participle
-
to make or form by combining things, parts, or elements.
He composed his speech from many research notes.
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to be or constitute a part or element of.
a rich sauce composed of many ingredients.
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to make up or form the basis of.
Style composes the essence of good writing.
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to put or dispose in proper form or order.
to compose laws into a coherent system.
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Art. to organize the parts or elements of (a picture or the like).
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to create (a musical, literary, or choreographic work).
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to end or settle (a quarrel, dispute, etc.).
The union and management composed their differences.
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to bring (oneself, one's mind, etc.) to a condition of calmness, repose, etc.; calm; quiet.
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Printing.
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to set (type).
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to set type for (an article, book, etc.).
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verb (used without object)
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composes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
composed,
past participle, past
-
composing
present participle
-
to engage in composition, especially musical composition.
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to enter into composition; fall into an arrangement.
a scene that composes well.
verb
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to put together or make up by combining; put in proper order
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to be the component elements of
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to produce or create (a musical or literary work)
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(intr) to write music
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to calm (someone, esp oneself); make quiet
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to adjust or settle (a quarrel, etc)
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to order the elements of (a painting, sculpture, etc); design
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printing to set up (type)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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composesimple
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composessimple
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have composedperfect
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has composedperfect
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am composingprogressive
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are composingprogressive
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is composingprogressive
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have been composingperfect progressive
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has been composingperfect progressive
Past
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composedsimple
-
had composedperfect
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was composingprogressive
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were composingprogressive
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had been composingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of compose
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English word from Middle French word composer. See com-, pose 1
Explanation
To compose is to put something together, like a song, poem, or even yourself. You might want to compose yourself before returning to the party after a good cry. The word compose began with the Latin ponere, which means "to put, place," referring to placing or arranging any piece of work. It's been in the music business since the 1590s, and it's generally still used to describe the act of writing songs. But you can use it whenever you're pulling something together: you might compose an essay for English class, or notice that the class is composed of all girls.
Vocabulary lists containing compose
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 5
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List 5
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
D’Ornano oversaw product research, helping to compose some of Sisley’s most iconic skin-care creams and scents.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026
Pillinger persuaded Britpop band Blur to compose a distinctive call-sign that Beagle 2 would transmit to Earth after landing.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
A New Englander deeply influenced by his reading of the Transcendentalists, Ives went into the insurance business while continuing to compose music, though his compositions weren’t widely performed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 23, 2026
Even as political campaigns experiment with more outlandish applications of the technology, many have already been using AI in quieter ways, including to compose tailored mailings and participate in digital chat rooms, Romero said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
I turn on my computer and click on the tab to compose a new message.
From "Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish" by Pablo Cartaya
In most places in Europe, tax composes 50%-60% of the retail price of fuel, according to Rob Smith, S&P Energy’s director of global fuel retail.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026
Musician Labrinth has distanced himself from TV series Euphoria, for which he composes the music, and said he is "done with this industry".
From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2026
It’s a trait you see in her performance as Sister Agnes, who composes herself with a quiet power.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 12, 2024
He specifically cites the way Pop Crave composes its posts, saying that there is specific psychology to the way its feed operates and rallies its massive follower base.
From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2024
Maybe he writes up here, composes bad poetry.
From "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon
"Enough. We can no longer breathe," shouted marchers in the crowds, which were composed mainly of journalists, rights groups and opposition party representatives.
From Barron's ● Oct. 24, 2026
To overcome this limitation, the Oxford researchers studied an engineered virus-like particle composed of 60 protein units.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 22, 2026
He remained composed in sharing partnerships of 132 with Marco Jansen and 183 with number nine Simon Harmer - the best eighth-wicket partnership in South Africa's Test history.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
How might a relatively small concern like the Avalanches continue to make records composed of sampled material in this climate?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
As she came walking in, looking very tired but as composed as ever, she observed that every vestige of the unfortunate fete had disappeared, except a suspicious pucker about the corners of Jo’s mouth.
From "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott
“I need to be cautious about wording since price-fixing could raise legal issues,” a GPT-5 agent noted in its internal chain-of-thought log while composing an email to a competitor.
From Slate ● Oct. 25, 2026
Duncan Sheik, who earned a Grammy nomination for his ubiquitous 1990s hit “Barely Breathing” and won a Tony Award for composing the music for “Spring Awakening,” died Thursday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
You're finally about to head off on a well-earned break, but there's one more task to tick off your to-do list: composing an out-of-office reply.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
He didn’t like composing radio hooks or fronting a traditional band.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
Then she clears her throat and closes her eyes, composing herself.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
