orchestration
Americannoun
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the composition or arrangement of music for performance by a band or orchestra, or the music so composed or arranged.
Holst's iconic musical portrayal of the planets and their astrological significance delights audiences with its rich orchestration and memorable melodies.
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the instruments used in such a composition or arrangement; instrumentation.
Handel's original orchestration was for strings and continuo with occasional trumpets and drums.
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the plans or planning necessary to arrange something or cause something to happen.
The book chronicles the Empress Dowager’s selection as a concubine and her orchestration of the coup that made her the de facto ruler of China.
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Computers. an automated series of processes to configure, coordinate, or manage computer systems, data, or software.
A successful cloud strategy requires orchestration of on-demand provisioning processes and coordination of cloud resources.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of orchestration
First recorded in 1830–40; orchestrat(e) ( def. ) + -ion ( def. )
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.
At mid-century, the word “design” implied fashionable ephemera, whereas Noguchi’s own work—furniture as well as sculptures—pursued something more enduring: the aesthetic orchestration of forms, pressures, space and human communication.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
Chakravarthy is the former CEO of Informatica and now the president of Adobe’s customer-experience orchestration business.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 9, 2026
Wilson, who first staged “Messiah” at the Salzburg Festival in 2020 using Mozart’s seldom-heard orchestration, treats this as a spiritual fantasy.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026
Mr. Spears’s orchestration is similarly evocative of this timeless state, with rumbles, lush strings, and no high woodwinds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
Writing a set of variations is considered an excellent exercise for students interested in composing, arranging, and orchestration.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
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.
