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.
-
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:
With that, he advised that the conference should adjourn early and rushed back to London to orchestrate a strong British government response in support of the U.S.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
The tribes also have worked together after rains to orchestrate rescue missions for chi that are trapped in puddles, offshoots and agricultural ditches.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
The numbers point towards a player who looks to eliminate defenders himself rather than orchestrate attacks from wide areas.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
She succeeds Joe Vernachio, who was appointed in 2024 to help orchestrate a turnaround for the struggling sneaker brand.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 17, 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
The agencies, along with a range of cyber analysts, said that the hack - like similar breaches before it - bore the signs of having been orchestrated by North Korea.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
Schrock, who had spent a decade at Weil, had orchestrated notable liability management transactions that reshaped balance sheets outside of court supervision for clients including J.Crew Group and Serta Simmons Bedding.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
The move, orchestrated by Everett to satisfy the demands of the company’s top-dollar backers, cheats Michael out of his stock options and equity in the company.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Behind the scenes, the FBI saw in emails and company records, Kao orchestrated over $40,000 in donations from extended family in advance of the event.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
Mommy’s house was orchestrated chaos and as the eighth of twelve children, I was lost in the sauce, so to speak.
From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride
"We're in an emergency situation," he says, adding he is surviving on a few hours sleep a night while orchestrating the response.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
The show was always brilliant at orchestrating moods, with its slow-fast, quiet-loud contrasts, its extreme close-ups and noisy action scenes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 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
He directs an absurd play within a play, orchestrating actors onstage to whom he is invisible.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
