orchestrate
Americanverb (used with or without object)
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orchestrates,
present (3rd person singular)
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orchestrated,
past participle, past
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orchestrating
present participle
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to compose or arrange (music) for performance by an orchestra.
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to arrange or manipulate, especially by means of clever or thorough planning or maneuvering.
to orchestrate a profitable trade agreement.
verb
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to score or arrange (a piece of music) for orchestra
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to arrange, organize, or build up for special or maximum effect
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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orchestraternoun
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orchestrationnoun
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orchestratornoun
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overorchestrateverb
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reorchestrateverb
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unorchestratedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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orchestratesimple
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orchestratessimple
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have orchestratedperfect
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has orchestratedperfect
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am orchestratingprogressive
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are orchestratingprogressive
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is orchestratingprogressive
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have been orchestratingperfect progressive
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has been orchestratingperfect progressive
Past
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orchestratedsimple
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had orchestratedperfect
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was orchestratingprogressive
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were orchestratingprogressive
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had been orchestratingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of orchestrate
First recorded in 1875–80; from French orchestr(er) (derivative of orchestre orchestra ) + -ate 1
Explanation
To orchestrate is to design or organize something, like a plan or a project. You could orchestrate an orchestra or you could just orchestrate a yard sale. An orchestra is a large group of classical musicians led by a conductor: it consists of many people playing together. Similarly, when we talk about orchestrating, someone is coordinating the activities of many people to accomplish something. The manager of an office orchestrates the business. A coach orchestrates the play of the team. Terrorist leaders orchestrate attacks. Orchestrating is like directing, and it applies to many more things than just music.
Vocabulary lists containing orchestrate
The Devil's Arithmetic
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The Fault in Our Stars
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"Number the Stars" by Lois Lowry, Introduction and Afterword
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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:
The numbers point towards a player who looks to eliminate defenders himself rather than orchestrate attacks from wide areas.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Users can also create and orchestrate response workflows, automating the process and reducing response times.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 2, 2026
He strongly implies she was instructed to orchestrate her own arrest in order to create propaganda for the movement.
From Salon ● May 20, 2026
Hool used to orchestrate in-person open calls in far-flung locales to match the perfect performer to each part.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026
“You thought Father Olufemi would be clever enough to orchestrate such things? You thought he could compel warriors to kill their own for nearly a century undetected?”
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
The regime doesn’t release official economic data, tightly controls information and orchestrates what visitors can see.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
The platform orchestrates and automates customers’ decision-making through AI.
From Barron's ● Apr. 30, 2026
Elizabeth Parmelee, a scholar of democracy and civic education at Metropolitan State University of Denver, explained how Colorado orchestrates its elections, which are conducted by mail, but without postmarks.
From Salon ● Jan. 12, 2026
He is so key for them with the way he orchestrates everything.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2025
Sammy orchestrates a reintroduction for me with Stone’s boss, one of the biggest numbers runners in Harlem: West Indian Archie.
From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz
Much of it, they say, was orchestrated by The Firm, the business arm of the British royal family.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
Jamie McDonald, US attorney for the Southern District of New York, said the defendants and unidentified co-conspirators orchestrated more than 1,000 sham marriages over the past decade.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
He told the newspaper: "There has been, since I arrived at Cambridge, a very well orchestrated and co-ordinated campaign to unseat me from my position."
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2026
“In just a few years, we will have built new capabilities in Europe and orchestrated a strategic awakening,” Macron said Monday in a speech to the military.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
Mrs. Brenner’s apartment was tiny but fastidiously neat, with the majority of its space devoted to a table that seated six, and a stool for her to perch on when she orchestrated matchmaking meetings.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
Apple on Friday sued OpenAI, accusing the artificial intelligence company of orchestrating a campaign to steal the iPhone maker's trade secrets as it tries to develop its own consumer hardware device.
From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026
The 41-year-old Stearns responded to that meltdown by orchestrating a dramatic roster overhaul, highlighted by the controversial departure of slugging first baseman Pete Alonso, a fan favorite and the franchise’s all-time leader in home runs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Instead, the company bucked Wall Street norms, pulled off the biggest IPO ever and raised $75 billion, according to a regulatory filing, while orchestrating a successful first day as a publicly traded company.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 12, 2026
"The Propaganda and Agitation Department played a significantly important role in orchestrating a series of processes that naturally transferred respect for Kim Il Sung to Kim Jong Un," Cheong says.
From BBC ● May 5, 2026
Downstairs, entertaining company, Desdemona heard her son’s clarinet and, as if orchestrating a harmony, let out a long sigh.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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.
