composed; composing
1
a
: to form by putting together : fashion
… a committee composed of three representatives …—
Current Biography
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.—Sheridan Le Fanu
Sheridan Le Fanu
: to practice composition (as of literary, musical, or typographical work)
At the age of 10, he was composing at the piano.
Examples of compose in a Sentence
She composed a letter to her sister.
He is in his studio composing.
Recent Examples on the Web
Crew-12 is composed of NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Jack Hathaway, European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev.
—Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 13 Feb. 2026
Maybe to one-up John Cage and his infamous four minutes, thirty-three seconds of silence, Sun Ra had composed a piece for a band that never comes.
—Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
Neil Patrick Harris, Bella Ramsey, James Norton, Jessica Gunning and Earl Cave are among cast in the film, which is composed by Este Haim and Zachary Dawes.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 13 Feb. 2026
In the end, the director asked the musician to compose music to texts from his favorite poet, Shiv Batalvi.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for compose
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Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 13 Feb. 2026
Maybe to one-up John Cage and his infamous four minutes, thirty-three seconds of silence, Sun Ra had composed a piece for a band that never comes.
—Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
Neil Patrick Harris, Bella Ramsey, James Norton, Jessica Gunning and Earl Cave are among cast in the film, which is composed by Este Haim and Zachary Dawes.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 13 Feb. 2026
In the end, the director asked the musician to compose music to texts from his favorite poet, Shiv Batalvi.
—Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for compose
Cite this Entry
“Compose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/compose. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
compose
verb
com·pose
kəm-ˈpōz 
composed; composing
1
a
: to form by putting together : fashion
b
: to form the substance of : constitute
a stew composed of many ingredients
c
: to arrange type in order for printing : set
2
: to create by mental or artistic labor
compose a song
3
: to arrange in proper form
4
: to make calm
composed himself
compose your feelings
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