SINCE 1828
composition
noun
com·po·si·tion
| \ ˌkäm-pə-ˈzi-shən
\
\
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
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Other Words from composition
compositional
\ ˌkäm-pə-ˈzish-nəl
, -ˈzi-shə-nᵊl \
adjective
, -ˈzi-shə-nᵊl \
adjective
compositionally
adverb
Examples of composition in a Sentence
the changing composition of the country's population
the composition of a chemical compound
The teacher reminded us to hand in our compositions at the end of class.
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Recent Examples on the Web
Face-to-face with the dizzyingly grand Paradiso, a roughly 23 x 72-foot canvas commissioned for the Sala del Maggior Consiglio in Venice, Ruskin praised the dynamism of Tintoretto’s composition. — Marley Marius, Vogue, "From Sally Mann to Jacopo Tintoretto, 7 Art Exhibitions You Won't Want to Miss This Spring," 1 Mar. 2019 All along the canals, a marvelous sense of composition, of balance between water, trees, buildings, and sky. — Steve King, Condé Nast Traveler, "Why We Keep Going Back to Amsterdam," 24 Dec. 2018 The department will release further details on the composition of benefits in December. — Eric Morath, WSJ, "Workers’ Pay Rises at Fastest Rate in a Decade," 31 Oct. 2018 The Lemon Bubble Brush boasts lemon, lime, and orange as its primary ingredients, while the Candy Bubble Brush’s cream of tartar composition gives it the sweet scent of cotton candy. — Tess Garcia, Teen Vogue, "Lush’s Bubble Brush Bars Will Turn Your Tub into a Personal Playground," 25 Aug. 2018 This rule is designed to prevent a double influence on the composition of the Bundestag. — Lindsay Ellis, Houston Chronicle, "Recommendation letters written for women undermine their job applications, Rice and UH research find," 7 June 2018 Therefore, high-fat meats and full-fat dairy products automatically contain more calories based on composition. — Jaclyn London, Ms, Rd, Cdn, Good Housekeeping, "Everything You Should Know About Vegan Diets," 24 Apr. 2018 The guide will talk about the flowers in bloom and offer tips on photo composition. — Paige Fumo Fox, Daily Southtown, "Spring is prime time to spy wildflowers on nature walks," 10 Apr. 2018 But with five days until Opening Day, the Rangers still aren't 100 percent sure on the composition of their roster. — Jeff Wilson, star-telegram, "Will he or won't he? Colon at center of Rangers' final roster moves," 24 Mar. 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.
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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
com·po·si·tion
| \ ˌkäm-pə-ˈzi-shən
\
\
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
noun
com·po·si·tion
Legal 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
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