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composition

noun

ˌkäm-pə-ˈzi-shən How to pronounce composition (audio)
Definition of compositionnext
1
as in piece
a literary, musical, or artistic production the compositions of Michelangelo include the dome of St. Peter's, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, and his monumental statue of David

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2
as in paper
a short piece of writing done as a school exercise a teacher who is fond of having her class write compositions

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3
as in layout
the way in which the elements of something (as a work of art) are arranged student photographers learn the importance of composition in creating striking images

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4
as in article
a short piece of writing typically expressing a point of view submitted a composition to the local newspaper for its special section marking Martin Luther King Day

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of composition The failure mode in most enterprise programs is assuming that having several controls means the composition has been analyzed. — Jeremy Samuelson, Forbes.com, 24 Sep. 2026 Nearby, the island volcano Tofua and the submarine volcano Fonuafoʻou both resemble Hunga in overall form, structure, magma composition, and even caldera size. — Yook Ji Hun, ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 2026 Michelle Lewis, a songwriter and the co-founder and chief executive of the nonprofit Songwriters of North America, said the composition side of that copyright split is often the harder one to defend. — Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026 Keeping an eye on the moon The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, has been a workhorse since launching in 2009, using seven instruments to create maps of the moon’s temperature, surface composition, topography and radiation. — CNN Money, 21 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for composition
Recent Examples of Synonyms for composition
  1. piece
  2. paper
  3. layout
  4. article
  5. work
  6. essay
  7. design
  8. masterpiece
Noun
  • Bank of America, Citigroup and Apollo underwrote the buyout debt package, one of the biggest ever and with many moving pieces, to fund the takeover.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Key elements include antique pieces, rich textures like brass and marble, historic color palettes, and balanced patterns.
    — Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of piece
Noun
  • In a new paper published in Royal Society Open Science, mathematician Alain Goriely shows that even though the stylobate really is curved, the illusion doesn’t hold up.
    — Emma Gometz, Scientific American, 22 Sep. 2026
  • The paper also calls out ways that assessments could mirror or build on the regional focus employed by past National Climate Assessments.
    — Scott K. Johnson, ArsTechnica, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of paper
Noun
  • Here, that includes the robot, sensors, AI models, factory layout, technician responsibilities and maintenance workflow.
    — Mohammed Cherifi, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026
  • These options give equipment manufacturers additional flexibility when adapting the supply to existing hardware layouts.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of layout
Noun
  • Information for this article was contributed by Volodymyr Yurchuk, Srdjan Nedeljkovic and Will Weissert of The Associated Press.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Sep. 2026
  • There will be a New York Times article and a few op-eds in The Guardian.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of article
Noun
  • She had been told that Golden Collision was a good place to have work done.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 27 Sep. 2026
  • In Wallingford, work will be done at the intersection of Route 150 (Main Street) at Hill Avenue and Chapel Street and Route 150 (Woodhouse Avenue) at South Airline Road and Kondracki Lane.
    — Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of work
Noun
  • Dario Amodei, co-founder and chief executive officer of Anthropic, later published an essay urging companies to slow down with their improvement of AI models.
    — Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Her essays have been featured in the New Yorker, the New York Times magazine, the Paris Review, and Jezebel.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of essay
Noun
  • Its design targets the economics of flight training, where fuel and maintenance can make every flight expensive.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The Sea Ranch Lodge, a focal point of a Northern California getaway destination that blends minimalist design with the rocky shores and meadows of the Sonoma County coastline, might have a growth spurt in its future.
    — Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of design
Noun
  • Yes, Zodiac is a momentous movie, a masterpiece, and Unabomber is not.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026
  • This project has been a long time in the making, and lands at a moment when interest in this classical masterpiece has never been greater, with a new generation of audiences discovering the power of Homer’s epic.
    — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of masterpiece

Browse Nearby Words

compositing
composition
compositions
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Cite this Entry

“Composition.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/composition. Accessed 29 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on composition

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about composition

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