com·pos·ite
käm-ˈpä-zət 
kəm-ˈpä-,
especially British
ˈkäm-pə-zit
1
: made up of distinct parts or elements
a composite photograph
composite materials
: such as
a
capitalized
: relating to or being a modification of the Corinthian order combining angular Ionic volutes with the acanthus-circled bell of the Corinthian
b
: of or relating to a very large family (Asteraceae synonym Compositae) of dicotyledonous herbs, shrubs, and trees often considered to be the most highly evolved plants and characterized by florets arranged in dense heads that resemble single flowers
c
: factorable into two or more prime factors other than 1 and itself
8 is a positive composite integer.
2
: combining the typical or essential characteristics of individuals making up a group
… the composite man called the Poet …—
Richard Poirier
Richard Poirier… the knight was a composite portrait of men whom Chaucer personally knew.—John Livingston Lowes
John Livingston Lowes3
of a statistical hypothesis
: specifying a range of values for one or more statistical parameters compare simple sense 10
4
of a video signal
: having two signal components (such as chrominance and luminance) combined in a single channel
For years, commercial television equipment has relied upon composite video cabling, which carries both brightness (luminance) and color (chroma) in a single cable. Problem is, before your television can produce a picture from this signal, it must be heavily filtered, resulting in serious degradation of image quality.—Home Theater Buyer's Guide
compare component entry 2 sense 2
Home Theater Buyer's Guide
compositely
adverb
1
: something composite : compound
a composite of two images
2
: a composite (see composite entry 1 sense 1b) plant
daisies, dandelions, and other composites
4
: a solid material which is composed of two or more substances having different physical characteristics and in which each substance retains its identity while contributing desirable properties to the whole
especially
: a structural material made of plastic within which a fibrous material (such as silicon carbide) is embedded
5
: an artist's sketch or digitally generated image of a criminal suspect usually created from witnesses' descriptions and used to help police identify and apprehend the suspect
a police composite
Police have released a composite of the suspect based on a description from the victim of the April 4 robbery.—Jim Jaworski
Jim Jaworski
composited; compositing
: to make composite or into something composite
composited four soil samples
composite the images
Examples of composite in a Sentence
Adjective
the movie's special effects included the use of many composite photographs
Noun
a composite of diverse communities
He spotted a man who resembled the police composite.
Verb
wood chips can be composited or sold as mulch
Recent Examples on the Web
Time, 20 June 2025
This, along with composite materials, special coatings, wing design and other classified processes, make the B-2 difficult for even the most sophisticated defense systems to detect and track.
—Ellen Uchimiya, CBS News, 19 June 2025
Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2025
Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.3% lower.
—Stan Choe, Chicago Tribune, 30 May 2025
Carolyn Giardina, Variety, 1 June 2025
According to Drewry’s World Container Index, global ocean spot freight rate averages composited across eight major trade lanes have decreased 4.2 percent to $2,076 per 40-foot container.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for composite
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Adjective
Experts featured in Grenfell: Uncovered highlight that the ACM cladding—made of aluminum composite material with a polyethylene core—had already been flagged in previous fire tests as dangerous, with rapid burn, intense heat, and heavy smoke release.
—Time, 20 June 2025
This, along with composite materials, special coatings, wing design and other classified processes, make the B-2 difficult for even the most sophisticated defense systems to detect and track.
—Ellen Uchimiya, CBS News, 19 June 2025
Noun
The Dow Jones industrial average dipped 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.1%.
—Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2025
Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.3% lower.
—Stan Choe, Chicago Tribune, 30 May 2025
Verb
The live action was filmed on a clear day, and so blizzard conditions and smoke, as well as the horde of infected, also needed to be composited into the shot.
—Carolyn Giardina, Variety, 1 June 2025
According to Drewry’s World Container Index, global ocean spot freight rate averages composited across eight major trade lanes have decreased 4.2 percent to $2,076 per 40-foot container.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 8 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for composite
Cite this Entry
“Composite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/composite. Accessed 1 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
composite
1 of 2 adjective
com·pos·ite
käm-ˈpäz-ət
kəm-
kəm-
1
: made up of various parts or elements
a composite photograph
2
: of or relating to a very large family of dicotyledonous plants (as a daisy or aster) that are characterized by flowers arranged in dense heads that resemble single flowers
3
: able to be factored into two or more prime factors other than 1 and itself
12 is a composite number since 2 × 2 × 3 = 12
composite
2 of 2 noun1
: something that is made up of different parts : compound
2
: a composite plant
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