Definition of COMPOSITIONS (original) (raw)
1
a
: 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
(2)
: the production of type or typographic characters (as in photocomposition) arranged for printing
2
a
: 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
7
: the operation of forming a composite function
Synonyms
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.
Recent Examples on the Web From Leeman’s lessons in traditional narrative art making, the women, most in their 70s, learn about fundamentals such as composition, scale and proportion. —
Leslie Katz, Forbes, 25 Sep. 2024 But board certification doesn’t guarantee vast experience with injectables, a strong understanding of filler composition and behavior, or, frankly, any sense of taste. —Jolene Edgar, Allure, 24 Sep. 2024 Álvarez went on to study composition and classical guitar at the Universidad Javeriana, in Bogotá, while cultivating a parallel practice in rock, the preferred music of the city’s middle-class youth. —Daniel Alarcón, The New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2024 In fact, regular high- and moderate-intensity workouts have actually been shown to be the best thing to improve cardiorespiratory fitness, body composition and insulin resistance in women with PCOS, according to a 2020 meta-analysis in the journal Frontiers in Physiology. —Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY, 22 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for composition 
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'composition.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English composicioun, from Anglo-French composicion, from Latin composition-, compositio, from componere — see compose
First Known Use
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Time Traveler
The first known use of composition was in the 14th century
Dictionary Entries Near composition
Cite this Entry
“Composition.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/composition. Accessed 1 Oct. 2024.
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Last Updated: 29 Sep 2024 - Updated example sentences
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