montage
Americannoun
plural
montages-
the technique of combining in a single composition pictorial elements from various sources, as parts of different photographs or fragments of printing, either to give the illusion that the elements belonged together originally or to allow each element to retain its separate identity as a means of adding interest or meaning to the composition.
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Movies, Television.
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juxtaposition or partial superimposition of several shots to form a single image.
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a technique of film editing in which this is used to present an idea or set of interconnected ideas.
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any combination of disparate elements that forms or is felt to form a unified whole, single image, etc.
verb (used with object)
noun
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the art or process of composing pictures by the superimposition or juxtaposition of miscellaneous elements, such as other pictures or photographs
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such a composition
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a method of film editing involving the juxtaposition or partial superimposition of several shots to form a single image
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a rapidly cut film sequence of this kind
Etymology
Origin of montage
1920–25; < French, equivalent to mont ( er ) to mount 1 + -age -age
Explanation
Romantic comedies always seem to include a montage of scenes showing the main characters falling in love while sharing a hot dog, playfully throwing snowballs at each other, and taking a romantic ride on a boat. A montage is a film sequence made up of many short scenes edited together. A montage is a kind of collage, often assembled from many different movie scenes, resulting in a single overall theme or image. You can also make a montage of photographs or music, editing or pasting together various bits to form one continuous whole. In the movie business, the word montage was originally used to mean "edit," the process of cutting and pasting pieces of film together to form a finished product.
Vocabulary lists containing montage
Journalism
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myPerspectives 9.4
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Monster
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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.
Elizabeth Banks plays Lindy Littlejohn, the miniaturized wife, who introduces the series over a montage of future bite-sized misadventures.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026
He makes a tribute video montage from old home videos that is played at a rally in her honour.
From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026
Pushback intensified after the official White House account posted a video montage celebrating US strikes.
From Barron's • Mar. 10, 2026
Cue a montage of the two of them squabbling that, alas, sets the tone for this movie, which drones much more often than it soars.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026
The video then transitions to a montage of scenes with Grandma coming over to feed Grandpa, taking away his salty nuts or candy, bringing him his medicine and vitamins, laughing at him, nagging him.
From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh
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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.