com ‧ pose /kəmˈpəʊz $ -ˈpoʊz/ BrE AmE verb
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: composer , from Latin componere ; ⇨ ↑ compound 2 ]
1 .
a) be composed of something to be formed from a number of substances, parts, or people SYN consist of :
Water is composed of hydrogen and oxygen.
The legal system is composed of people, and people make mistakes.
► Do not say that something ‘is composed by’ or ‘is composed with’ things or people. Say that it is composed of things or people.
b) [transitive not in progressive] formal to combine together to form something SYN make up :
More than 17.6 million firms compose the business sector of our economy.
2 . [intransitive and transitive] to write a piece of music ⇨ composer , composition :
Barrington has composed the music for a new production of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’.
3 . compose a letter/poem/speech etc to write a letter, poem etc, thinking very carefully about it as you write it:
Compose a letter to your local paper stating your views on an issue of your choice.
4 .
a) compose yourself to try hard to become calm after feeling very angry, upset, or excited:
Lynn took several deep breaths to compose herself.
b) compose your face/features/thoughts to make yourself look or feel calm ⇨ composure :
When asked a question, give yourself a second to compose your thoughts.
5 . [transitive] to arrange the parts of a painting, photograph, or scene in a way that achieves a particular result:
I like the way he composes his photographs.