arrangement

noun

ar·​range·​ment ə-ˈrānj-mənt 

1

a

: the state of being arranged : order

everything in neat arrangement

b

: the act of arranging

was responsible for the arrangement of the details

2

: something arranged: such as

a

: a preliminary measure : preparation

travel arrangements

b

: a piece of music that has been changed so that it can be performed by particular types of voices or instruments

c

: an informal agreement or settlement especially on personal, social, or political matters

arrangements under the new regime

3

: something made by arranging parts or things together

a floral arrangement

Synonyms of arrangement

• plan
• strategy
• blueprint
• scheme
• program
• project
• design
• system

Examples of arrangement in a Sentence

They changed the arrangement of furniture in the room.

the collection and arrangement of data

a chronological arrangement of historical events

We tried several different arrangements of the parts.

Having my brother and his wife living nearby was an ideal arrangement for our family.

The family had very unusual living arrangements.

“What were your sleeping arrangements?” “I slept on the bed while he slept on the floor.”

We'll have to change the seating arrangements for the dinner party.

Her job includes arrangement of her boss's travel plans.

There was an unusual political arrangement between the two countries.

Recent Examples on the Web

It’s understood that there’s nothing more difficult than being a successful editor, therapist, or author, even with a stash of pill bottles in a wicker basket beside an opulent floral arrangement. —Libby Gelman-Waxner, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2026

The matter is among a number of special prosecutor appointments that have come under scrutiny as defense attorneys raise concerns about the potentially lucrative arrangements, including in a case that was reviewed by the Illinois Supreme Court last year. —Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026

The arrangement gives Anthropic up to 5 gigawatts of capacity via current and future generations of Amazon’s Trainium chips to train and deploy Anthropic’s Claude AI models. —Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026

In practice, working parents will have to shell out for another week of summer camp — if programs offer it — or make other child care arrangements. —Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French, going back to Middle French arengement, from arenger "to arrange" + -ment -ment

First Known Use

1690, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing arrangement

• pre-arrangement
• seating arrangement/plan

Rhymes for arrangement

• rearrangement
• derangement
• estrangement

Kids Definition

arrangement

noun

ar·​range·​ment ə-ˈrānj-mənt 

1

: a putting in order : the order in which things are put

the arrangement of furniture in a room

2

: preparation or planning done in advance

make arrangements for a trip

3

: something made by arranging

a flower arrangement

4

: a changing of a piece of music to suit voices or instruments other than those for which it was first written