composition
noun
\
Definition of composition
1a : the act or process of composing specifically : arrangement into specific proportion or relation and especially into artistic form the painting's unique composition
b(1) : the arrangement of type for printing hand composition
(2) : the production of type or typographic characters (as in photocomposition) arranged for printing
2a : the manner in which something is composed
b : general makeup the changing ethnic composition of the city's population
c : the qualitative and quantitative makeup of a chemical compound the chemical composition of a polymer
3 : mutual settlement or agreement The two parties came to a composition.
4 : a product of mixing or combining various elements or ingredients a composition of rubber and cork
5 : an intellectual creation: such as
a : a piece of writing especially : a school exercise in the form of a brief essay wrote a composition on the role of the police in our society
b : a written piece of music especially of considerable size and complexity Her composition for piano and flute was played at the recital.
6 : the quality or state of being compound
7 : the operation of forming a composite function also : composite function
Keep scrolling for more
Other words from composition
-ˈzi-shə-nᵊl
\
adjective
Examples of composition in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Cohan often plays excerpts of these and other original compositions, scaled down to the instrumentation at hand, which this time will be a sterling quartet featuring saxophonist John Wojciechowski, bassist James Cammack and drummer George Fludas. — Howard Reich, chicagotribune.com, "From Bernstein to Broadway to Latin jazz," 12 July 2018 Roush and Martin talked for several hours about the team's composition, how much would be invested, what the growth strategy was, and how resources would be allocated. — Jason Hoffman, Cincinnati.com, "Legendary NASCAR team owner Jack Roush hoping to cross Kentucky Speedway off bucket list," 11 July 2018 Instead, obliterating any of the detail and subtlety of the original composition, the wide-eyed St. George was given a fleshy peach face and wide brown eyes, one of which seems to have wandered a bit too far to the right. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Restorationist Botches 16th-Century Spanish Statue of Saint," 28 June 2018 They’ll be subjected to the exact same environmental surroundings as well—gas composition, temperature, lighting to simulate night and day—though on a three-day delay. — Megan Molteni, WIRED, "NASA's Astro-Mice Will Test What Space Does to Your Gut," 28 June 2018 The 2018 Gilda Award recipients include Arthur Cartwright (screenwriting, film directing), Aisha Ellis (music composition, performance), Brandyn (Skilz) Burton (dance, choreography) and Salakastar (theatre, performance art). — Ryan Patrick Hooper, Detroit Free Press, "Detroit artists receive $25,000 grants from Kresge," 20 June 2018 Some have described the image by Jesco Denzel, an award-winning photographer with many stunning compositions, as a Renaissance painting or the work of a Dutch master. — An Xiao Mina, The Atlantic, "That Merkel Photo Is More Like a Meme Than a Renaissance Painting," 11 June 2018 To impress your friends by way of burger composition, call on the ever-popular Japanese wagyu. — Natalie B. Compton, GQ, "How to Grill Like a Chef This Summer," 31 May 2018 But students were expected to master math, physical sciences, English literature and composition, and history. — Ellie Silverman, Washington Post, "Alexander Orr, co-founder of experimental Hawthorne School, dies at 94," 29 May 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'composition.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for composition
composition
noun
English Language Learners Definition of composition
: the way in which something is put together or arranged : the combination of parts or elements that make up something
: a piece of writing; especially : a brief essay written as a school assignment
: a written piece of music and especially one that is very long or complex
See the full definition for composition in the English Language Learners Dictionary
composition
noun
\
Kids Definition of composition
1 : a short piece of writing done as a school exercise
2 : the act of writing words or music
3 : the manner in which the parts of a thing are put together : makeup, constitution The president discussed the population's changing composition. Each rock has a slightly different composition.
4 : a literary, musical, or artistic production
composition
nounLegal Definition of composition
: an agreement between an insolvent debtor and several creditors whereby partial payment of the debts discharges in full the original obligations — compare accord sense 3, compromise
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on composition
What made you want to look up composition? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Name that Food Quiz
-
- Name these cookies!
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Share composition
Resources for composition