- 1[transitive] (not used in the progressive tenses) compose something (formal) to combine together to form a whole synonym make somethingup Ten men compose the committee. see also composed
- 2[transitive, intransitive] compose (something) to write music Mozart composed his last opera shortly before he died. music specially composed for the occasion Oxford Collocations Dictionary adverbspecially See full entry
- 3[transitive] compose a letter/speech/poem to write a letter, etc. usually with a lot of care and thought She composed a letter of protest. Wordfindermessageaddress, attachment, compose, draft, email, emoticon, forward, inbox, message, re Oxford Collocations Dictionary adverbspecially See full entry See related entries: Writing and publishing, Email
- 4[transitive, no passive] (formal) to manage to control your feelings or expression compose yourself Emma frowned, making an effort to compose herself. compose something I was so confused that I could hardly compose my thoughts. see also composure Word Originlate Middle English (in the general sense ‘put together, construct’): from Old French composer, from Latin componere, from com- ‘together’ + ponere ‘put’, but influenced by Latin compositus ‘composed’ and Old French poser ‘to place’.
compose
verbBrE BrE//kəmˈpəʊz//; NAmE NAmE//kəmˈpoʊz//
Verb Forms present simple I / you / we / they compose BrE BrE//kəmˈpəʊz//; NAmE NAmE//kəmˈpoʊz//
he / she / it composes BrE BrE//kəmˈpəʊzɪz//; NAmE NAmE//kəmˈpoʊzɪz//
past simple composed BrE BrE//kəmˈpəʊzd//; NAmE NAmE//kəmˈpoʊzd//
past participle composed BrE BrE//kəmˈpəʊzd//; NAmE NAmE//kəmˈpoʊzd//
-ing form composing BrE BrE//kəmˈpəʊzɪŋ//; NAmE NAmE//kəmˈpoʊzɪŋ//
Writing and publishing, EmailCheck pronunciation: compose
