Configuration means the way parts of something are arranged or set up. When you arrange furniture in your bedroom, you're choosing a configuration: bed against the wall, desk by the window, bookshelf in the corner. Change where things go, and you've created a new configuration.

The word appears frequently in technology. A computer's configuration includes which programs are installed, what settings are chosen, and how everything is organized to work together. A video game might let you customize the configuration of your controls, deciding which buttons do what. Scientists talk about the configuration of atoms in a molecule, meaning how those tiny particles are positioned relative to each other.

Configuration emphasizes how a setup affects what something can do. A bicycle's gear configuration determines how easy or hard it is to pedal uphill. A classroom's seating configuration (rows, circles, or small groups) shapes how students interact and learn. The configuration describes both where things are and how that arrangement makes the whole system function. When something is configurable, you can adjust its configuration to suit different needs or preferences.