orchestrate
Americanverb (used with or without object)
-
to compose or arrange (music) for performance by an orchestra.
-
to arrange or manipulate, especially by means of clever or thorough planning or maneuvering.
to orchestrate a profitable trade agreement.
verb
-
to score or arrange (a piece of music) for orchestra
-
to arrange, organize, or build up for special or maximum effect
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
orchestraternoun
-
orchestrationnoun
-
orchestratornoun
-
overorchestrateverb
-
reorchestrateverb
-
unorchestratedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
orchestratesimple
-
orchestratessimple
-
have orchestratedperfect
-
has orchestratedperfect
-
am orchestratingprogressive
-
are orchestratingprogressive
-
is orchestratingprogressive
-
have been orchestratingperfect progressive
-
has been orchestratingperfect progressive
Past
-
orchestratedsimple
-
had orchestratedperfect
-
was orchestratingprogressive
-
were orchestratingprogressive
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Fault in Our Stars
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
"Number the Stars" by Lois Lowry, Introduction and Afterword
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to act "with full force against the terrorists and those who orchestrate and sponsor them".
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
Find a good primary-care doctor who can be your quarterback and carefully orchestrate your care.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 3, 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
What I had before me was a spectacle of wind and water, an earthquake of the senses, that even Hollywood couldn’t orchestrate.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
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
There is irony in that models successfully orchestrated an unprecedented attack to avoid a hacking skill test.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
All this happens after Zack turns up with a missing toe, which Anna suspects Max orchestrated.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
According to an obviously orchestrated set of phone calls to friends, though, the guy has never been better.
From Slate ● Jul. 11, 2026
The couple were also linked to wedding planner Mark Seed, who previously orchestrated the 2023 wedding of Jack Antonoff and Margaret Qualley and the 2019 wedding of Jennifer Lawrence and Cooke Maroney.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 3, 2026
In the jockeys’ room he orchestrated a string of clever practical jokes, sequestered himself in corners to pore over literature, and mystified his fellow jocks with aphorisms from Omar Khayyam and “Old Waldo” Emerson.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
Marizel Yukee, a Nevada nurse practitioner, was charged with allegedly orchestrating a $906 million Medicare fraud scheme in which she both received and paid kickbacks in connection with providing medically unnecessary wound allografts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 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
A monthslong investigation into a suspected retail fraud operation has led to the arrest of two Glendale residents accused of orchestrating a scheme involving counterfeit returns of high-end merchandise, authorities said Thursday.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
“I was going to say hyperfocused. I get so intent on orchestrating my plans and keeping them a secret that I suppose I have a tendency to stop observing what’s really going on around me.”
From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
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.
