composed; composing
1
a
: to form by putting together : fashion
a committee composed of three representatives—
Current Biography
Current Biography
b
: to form the substance of : constitute
composed of many ingredients
c
: to produce (columns, pages of type, etc.) by composition
2
a
: to create by mental or artistic labor : produce
compose a sonnet
b(1)
: to formulate and write (a piece of music)
composed a symphony
(2)
: to compose music for
3
: to deal with or act on so as to reduce to a minimum
compose their differences
4
: to arrange in proper or orderly form
The two men had laid him on the bed, and composed his limbs.—Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
: to practice composition (as of literary, musical, or typographical work)
At the age of 10, he was composing at the piano.
Examples of compose in a Sentence
She composed a letter to her sister.
He is in his studio composing.
Recent Examples on the Web
The ballad was composed by Hans Zimmer, Kara Talve and Walter Afanasieff.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 25 Apr. 2024
The oldest structures — dating to the 9th and 10th centuries A.D. — are composed of primitive materials.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2024
Every product was determined to have excelled in each category by our editorial team, which is composed of in-house writers and editors as well as contributors—along with special consideration from dermatologists.
—Nikhita Mahtani, Allure, 22 Apr. 2024
The jury is composed of seven men and five women, the majority of whom have college degrees.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 22 Apr. 2024
The researchers dug up a partial vertebral column, composed of 27 vertebrae in total, from a mine in the Kutch District in Gujarat State on India’s western coast.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Apr. 2024
Outside, the home presents roofing composed of composition shingles materials.
—Bay Area Home Report, The Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2024
The groups that identified as friends were more successful in both types of tasks than the groups composed of mere acquaintances.
—Tania Ganguli, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2024
And as Fortune recently reported, Elon Musk’s X platform is considering adding generative AI capabilities that can automatically compose tweets for premium users.
—Bysharon Goldman, Fortune, 18 Apr. 2024
Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 25 Apr. 2024
The oldest structures — dating to the 9th and 10th centuries A.D. — are composed of primitive materials.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2024
Every product was determined to have excelled in each category by our editorial team, which is composed of in-house writers and editors as well as contributors—along with special consideration from dermatologists.
—Nikhita Mahtani, Allure, 22 Apr. 2024
The jury is composed of seven men and five women, the majority of whom have college degrees.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 22 Apr. 2024
The researchers dug up a partial vertebral column, composed of 27 vertebrae in total, from a mine in the Kutch District in Gujarat State on India’s western coast.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Apr. 2024
Outside, the home presents roofing composed of composition shingles materials.
—Bay Area Home Report, The Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2024
The groups that identified as friends were more successful in both types of tasks than the groups composed of mere acquaintances.
—Tania Ganguli, New York Times, 19 Apr. 2024
And as Fortune recently reported, Elon Musk’s X platform is considering adding generative AI capabilities that can automatically compose tweets for premium users.
—Bysharon Goldman, Fortune, 18 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'compose.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to compose
Dictionary Entries Near compose
Cite this Entry
“Compose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/compose. Accessed 1 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
compose
verb
com·pose
kəm-ˈpōz 
composed; composing
1
a
: to form by putting together : fashion
b
: to form the substance of : constitute
a stew composed of many ingredients
c
: to arrange type in order for printing : set
2
: to create by mental or artistic labor
compose a song
3
: to arrange in proper form
4
a
: to make (oneself) calm
b
: to gain control of
try to compose your feelings
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