composer
Americannoun
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a person who composes music
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a person or machine that composes anything, esp type for printing
Etymology
Origin of composer
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."
Vocabulary lists containing composer
Music - Introductory
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Academy Awards, List 3
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Music - Middle School
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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.
Before becoming a composer, Rahman spent several years as a keyboard player in Ilaiyaraaja's orchestra.
From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026
The composer designed a revolutionary theater for the four-night epic in the provincial German town of Bayreuth.
From Los Angeles Times • May 28, 2026
A towering influence on jazz’s postwar evolution and a prolific composer of songs that became jazz standards, Mr. Rollins was seldom satisfied with his performances.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026
Whereas Coltrane brought grace and a gentle texture, Rollins arguably delivered a firmer sense of music's ebbs and flows, crafting jazz in the manner of a classical composer.
From Barron's • May 26, 2026
Some parents chatting with Dad find out that not only is he a Chumley Prep music instructor, but he is also the composer of several show tunes that could become a musical.
From "Shine!" by J.J. and Chris Grabenstein
Definitions 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.
