composer

American  

[kuhm-poh-zer] / kəmˈpoʊ zər /

noun

1. a person or thing that composes.

2. a person who writes music.

3. an author.

---

composer British  

/ kəmˈpəʊzə /

noun

1. a person who composes music

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

---

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

Her rise began in the 1950s during her collaboration with composer OP Nayyar, which marked a turning point in her career.

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

The poet Wallace Stevens and the composer Charles Ives were insurance executives.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

Franz Joseph Haydn thought of himself as a slave at the castle of the aristocratic Esterházy family; he served as their court composer for decades while he wrote his famous works.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

The Magnani Rocca Foundation was established following the death of Luigi Magnani, a composer and art collector, in 1984 in his family home.

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026

It has changed, certainly, and it is now experienced in all sorts of ways that would have surprised, for instance, Edvard Grieg, the Norwegian composer who died a few months after that historic transmission.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

Related Words

• writer