Composition is the way different parts are put together to form a whole. When you write an essay, your teacher might call it a composition because you're arranging words, sentences, and paragraphs into something complete. When a photographer frames a picture, she thinks about composition: where to place the subject, what to include in the background, how to balance light and shadow.

A musician creates a composition by choosing which notes, rhythms, and instruments work together. An artist considers composition when deciding where to place figures in a painting or how colors relate to each other. Even a chef thinks about composition when arranging food on a plate.

In science, composition means what something is made of. The composition of Earth's atmosphere includes nitrogen, oxygen, and other gases. A geologist studies the composition of rocks to understand what minerals they contain.

The verb form is compose. When you compose a story, you're putting it together piece by piece. When you compose yourself after getting upset, you're bringing your emotions back into a calmer state. Whether you're writing, creating art, or simply organizing your thoughts, composition is about how you arrange the pieces to make something meaningful.