orchestrate

1 of 2

verb

or·​ches·​trate ˈȯr-kə-ˌstrāt 

orchestrated; orchestrating

transitive verb

1

a

: to compose or arrange (music) for an orchestra

The composer orchestrated the music for the symphony orchestra.

b

: to provide with orchestration

orchestrate a ballet

2

: to arrange or combine so as to achieve a desired or maximum effect

orchestrated preparations for the banquet

a carefully orchestrated stunt

orchestrator

ˈȯr-kə-ˌstrā-tər 

noun

or less commonly orchestrater

orchestrator

2 of 2

noun

or·​ches·​tra·​tor

variants or less commonly orchestrater

ˈ⸗⸗ˌstrātə(r) 

-ātə-

plural -s

: a person that arranges music for orchestral use or provides with orchestration

Examples of orchestrate in a Sentence

Verb

He recently orchestrated a musical.

She orchestrated the entire event.

It's still unclear who was responsible for orchestrating the attack.

A strike was orchestrated by union members.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

While Spain has struggled to score occasionally over the past month, its defense has remained perfect, with Rodri orchestrating the effort superbly from midfield. — ABC News, 9 July 2026

The software can autonomously orchestrate workflows across messaging platforms, email, calendars and local file systems using large language models. — Beth Miller, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026

Fox also arranged and orchestrated the album, while Pivovarov handled engineering, mixing, and mastering. — Frank Digiacomo, Rolling Stone, 7 July 2026

The elaborate funeral of his predecessor, Ruhollah Khomeini, was also orchestrated to demonstrate leadership continuity in 1989. — Rebecca Schneid, Time, 5 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1858, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for orchestrate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate
• angulate

Kids Definition

orchestrate

verb

or·​ches·​trate ˈȯr-kə-ˌstrāt 

orchestrated; orchestrating

1

: to write or arrange music for an orchestra

2

: to arrange or combine so as to get the best effect

orchestration

ˌȯr-kə-ˈstrā-shən

noun