compose
Americanverb (used with object)
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composes,
present (3rd person singular)
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composed,
past participle, past
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composing
present participle
-
to make or form by combining things, parts, or elements.
He composed his speech from many research notes.
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to be or constitute a part or element of.
a rich sauce composed of many ingredients.
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to make up or form the basis of.
Style composes the essence of good writing.
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to put or dispose in proper form or order.
to compose laws into a coherent system.
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Art. to organize the parts or elements of (a picture or the like).
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to create (a musical, literary, or choreographic work).
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to end or settle (a quarrel, dispute, etc.).
The union and management composed their differences.
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to bring (oneself, one's mind, etc.) to a condition of calmness, repose, etc.; calm; quiet.
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Printing.
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to set (type).
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to set type for (an article, book, etc.).
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verb (used without object)
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composes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
composed,
past participle, past
-
composing
present participle
-
to engage in composition, especially musical composition.
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to enter into composition; fall into an arrangement.
a scene that composes well.
verb
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to put together or make up by combining; put in proper order
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to be the component elements of
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to produce or create (a musical or literary work)
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(intr) to write music
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to calm (someone, esp oneself); make quiet
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to adjust or settle (a quarrel, etc)
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to order the elements of (a painting, sculpture, etc); design
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printing to set up (type)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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composesimple
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composessimple
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have composedperfect
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has composedperfect
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am composingprogressive
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are composingprogressive
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is composingprogressive
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have been composingperfect progressive
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has been composingperfect progressive
Past
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composedsimple
-
had composedperfect
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was composingprogressive
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were composingprogressive
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had been composingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of compose
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English word from Middle French word composer. See com-, pose 1
Explanation
To compose is to put something together, like a song, poem, or even yourself. You might want to compose yourself before returning to the party after a good cry. The word compose began with the Latin ponere, which means "to put, place," referring to placing or arranging any piece of work. It's been in the music business since the 1590s, and it's generally still used to describe the act of writing songs. But you can use it whenever you're pulling something together: you might compose an essay for English class, or notice that the class is composed of all girls.
Vocabulary lists containing compose
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 5
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List 5
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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 Mirror's Lucy Needham, external noted that the singer was 50 minutes late to start, and may have needed extra time to "compose herself" for the "emotionally charged return".
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
Magotsi's eyes are filled with tears as he struggles to compose himself.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
This trio is a true collective; all three musicians compose.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
He declined to say which AI tool helped him compose the Journal piece, which he wrote over the weekend while on vacation with his grandchildren.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
My stomach rolled over and I took a short breath to compose myself.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
In most places in Europe, tax composes 50%-60% of the retail price of fuel, according to Rob Smith, S&P Energy’s director of global fuel retail.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 22, 2026
He specifically cites the way Pop Crave composes its posts, saying that there is specific psychology to the way its feed operates and rallies its massive follower base.
From Slate ● Sep. 1, 2024
He composes his songs at home - which are no longer than a minute long as he gets out of breath easily - and his sets last just 30 minutes.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2024
He’s decided to keep this in mind as he composes his novels.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 19, 2024
A few, I can tell by the elaborateness of the smile he composes and aims.
From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood
While Garcia, 28, bounced between insults, threats and jokes, Benn remained relatively composed.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
National Climate Assessments are Congressionally mandated reports composed by hundreds of scientists and researchers and have been published every four years since 1990.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2026
One unusual aspect of these works is that they were not composed on the piano but directly on the sax, with fellow quartet members Hamiet Bluiett, Oliver Lake and David Murray in mind.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
For five years, Sister Schubert’s fans asked, begged and eventually petitioned for the return of a frozen food composed of two things: a small smoked sausage and a soft Parker House roll.
From Salon ● Sep. 7, 2026
When roaming bands of Sapiens foragers migrated into colder climates, they learned to make snowshoes and effective thermal clothing composed of layers of furs and skins, sewn together tightly with the help of needles.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
His Disney Hall debut followed in early 2007, and that settled it for Salonen, who was eager to spend more time composing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
“I actually found it much easier than writing songs about myself. Having the permission to be silly and bratty was so freeing,” Hart said to The Quietus, discussing composing from Lestat’s perspective.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026
Tech firms are racing to roll out advanced smartphones that use artificial intelligence to do everything from ordering food to composing messages upon a simple voice command.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
The Oscar-winning actor said he had been composing music "all my life", and that "music was my first desire, my first wish".
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
She could describe the whole process of composing a novel, ffom the general directive issued by the Planning Committee down to the final touching-up by the Rewrite Squad.
From "1984" by George Orwell
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.
