arrangement

American  

[uh-reynj-muhnt] / əˈreɪndʒ mənt /

noun

• arrangements
  plural

1. an act of arranging; state of being arranged.

2. the manner or way in which things are arranged.

   a tactful arrangement of the seating at dinner.

3. a final settlement; adjustment by agreement.

   The arrangement with the rebels lasted only two weeks.

4. Usually arrangements. preparatory measures; plans; preparations.

   They made arrangements for an early departure.

5. something arranged in a particular way.

   a floral arrangement; the arrangement of chairs for the seminar.

6. Music.

   1. the adaptation of a composition to voices or instruments, or to a new purpose.

   2. a piece so adapted.

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idioms

1. final arrangements, the planning or scheduling of funeral services and burial.

   Final arrangements are still pending.

arrangement British  

/ əˈreɪndʒmənt /

noun

1. the act of arranging or being arranged

2. the form in which things are arranged

   he altered the arrangement of furniture in the room

3. a thing composed of various ordered parts; the result of arranging

   a flower arrangement

4. (often plural) a preparatory measure taken or plan made; preparation

5. an agreement or settlement; understanding

6. an adaptation of a piece of music for performance in a different way, esp on different instruments from those for which it was originally composed

7. an adaptation (of a play, etc) for broadcasting

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• rearrangement
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• arrangements
  plural

Etymology

Origin of arrangement

From French, dating back to 1720–30; see origin at arrange, -ment

Explanation

When you organize things in an orderly way, the result is called an arrangement. If you admire your friend's arrangement of his living room furniture, you might go home and make a similar arrangement. Your brother might keep an arrangement of Lego creations on his desk, and you could put an arrangement of wildflowers in a vase in the middle of your kitchen table. Another kind of arrangement is one you make when you negotiate an agreement with another person: "We have an arrangement — she gives me a ride to school and I walk her dog in the afternoon." The Old French root, arengier, means "to set in a row."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

arrangement arrangements

Beijing said the test launch was "a routine arrangement of China's annual military training", and that "relevant countries were informed in advance".

From Barron's ● Sep. 3, 2026

Previously, Guinea-Bissau's legislature appointed a prime minister from the parliamentary majority, who then formed a cabinet - an arrangement the ruling military authorities said had contributed to political instability.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

Tea Shop has allegedly honored that arrangement on other films.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

The scans revealed an unexpected arrangement inside the developing animal.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 1, 2026

At the moment it is mostly an arrangement of packed soil and stacks of stone forming tall but rudimentary walls.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

Rather than placing an entire circuit inside one cell, they engineered individual cells to serve as transistor-like components that could be connected in different arrangements.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026

However, the closure has been deferred until the remaining residents have been relocated and arrangements for independent living have been completed.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

Rafael Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said last week that the verification arrangements appeared to be adequate.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026

For those families, the priority should be to build whatever financial breathing room their circumstances allow and identify workplace or caregiving arrangements that could ease some of the pressure.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 31, 2026

“There has not been any change made about your own arrangements? You will not be summoned to leave England sooner than you expected?”

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

Related Words

• adjustment
• agreement
• compromise
• deal
• package
• plan
• preparation
• provision
• schedule
• settlement