choreography

noun

cho·​re·​og·​ra·​phy ˌkȯr-ē-ˈä-grə-fē 

plural choreographies

1

: the art of symbolically representing dancing

2

a

: the composition and arrangement of dances especially for ballet

b

: a composition created by this art

3

: something resembling choreography

… a snail-paced choreography of delicate high diplomacy …

—Wolfgang Saxon

choreographic

ˌkȯr-ē-ə-ˈgra-fik 

adjective

choreographically

ˌkȯr-ē-ə-ˈgra-fi-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Did you know?

In ancient Greece, a choreia was a circular dance accompanied by a singing chorus. But the actual notating of dances by means of symbols didn't begin until the 17th or 18th century, when ballet developed into a complex art form in France. The choreographer of a major ballet, which might run to an hour or more, will always record his or her work in notation, though choreographing a five-minute segment for a TV talent show usually doesn't require any record at all.

Examples of choreography in a Sentence

He has an interest in choreography.

a show with excellent choreography

Recent Examples on the Web

Take shots of Tequila Don Julio 1942 FIFA World Cup 2026™ Edition when your team scores or sip it slowly while the DJ set and mermaid choreography do the work the stadium jumbotron usually does. — Lilian Raji, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026

The production stars Maddie Ziegler, Kristen Wiig, Paul Dano, Ben Mendelsohn, Gaby Hoffmann and Tig Notaro, with choreography by Ryan Heffington. — Spin Staff, SPIN, 18 June 2026

Mirage, for instance, is a ballet with a visual artist and a choreographer, but also a work on the border between installation art, choreography, living sculpture, almost a kind of magic. — Alma Rota, Rolling Stone, 17 June 2026

Her own story of abuse becomes a central character in a protest drama that unfurls into electrifying song-and-dance numbers and movement choreography. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 15 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

French chorégraphie, from Greek choreia + French -graphie -graphy

First Known Use

circa 1789, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for choreography

• arthrography
• biography
• cartography
• cosmography
• cryptography
• demography
• discography
• echography
• ethnography
• filmography
• geography
• hydrography

Kids Definition

choreography

noun

cho·​re·​og·​ra·​phy ˌkōr-ē-ˈäg-rə-fē 

ˌkȯr-

: the art of arranging dances especially for ballet

choreograph

ˈkōr-ē-ə-ˌgraf, 

ˈkȯr-

verb

choreographer

ˌkōr-ē-ˈäg-rə-fər, 

ˌkȯr-

noun

choreographic

-ē-ə-ˈgraf-ik

adjective