1. To make up the constituent parts of; to constitute or to form: Esther and the other art students had an exhibit composed of modernistic paintings.
2. To make or to create by putting together parts or elements: The delicious dessert which was served was composed of fruit, cream, and cookies.
3. To create or to produce something; such as, a literary or musical piece: They were told that Oscar Levant composed some of the melodies for the lyrics in which he was an actor.
4. To make (oneself) calm or tranquil: Sherry had to compose herself so she could deal calmly with the additional work that was assigned to her.
5. To settle or to adjust; to reconcile: Gregory and his wife Janet managed to compose their differences.
6. To arrange aesthetically or artistically; for example, to arrange things in order to achieve an effect: The garden was composed of rows of complimentary flowers, shading from pale blue to darkest blue.
7. To arrange or to set type in preparation for printing: Jerry, the typesetter, was very adroit at composing eye catching headlines for each edition of the newspaper.