Definition of compose
composed;
composing
transitive verb
1 a
:to form by putting together :fashion
- a committee composed of three representatives
- —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
intransitive verb
:to practice composition (as of literary, musical, or typographical work)
- At the age of 10, he was composing at the piano.
