Dictionary

orchestrate en · VERB

Pronunciation

• /ˈoː.kə.stɹæɪt/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
• /ˈɔɹ.kəˌstɹeɪt/ (Canada, General-American)
• (New-Jersey) audio
• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈɔː(ɹ).kə.stɹeɪt/ (UK)

Etymology

From orchestra + -ate (verb-forming suffix). Compare French orchestrer.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To arrange or score music for performance by an orchestra.
2. (transitive) To compose or arrange orchestral music for a dramatic performance.
   • Sergio Leone orchestrated "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly".
3. (transitive) To arrange or direct diverse elements to achieve a desired effect
   • Here is chromophonic montage at its most skillful, as Minnelli orchestrates camera movement, music, and lighting in a crescendo of sound and color which red comes to dominate in the climactic moment of violent explosion. 1980, Film/psychology Review, volume 4, page 80:
   • He might orchestrate the curved lines into stepped, hivelike hills […]. 2007 January 26, Roberta Smith, “Outside In”, in The New York Times:
   • By orchestrating this work with such cool reserve, Doolas avoided the pitfall of turning her celebration of womanhood into a free-for-all hugfest. 1988 March 4, Justin Hayford, “Ambiguous Gestures”, in Chicago Reader:
   • Orchestrated histories are not fact-based.
   • State ceremonies aimed to induce a sense of respectful awe and emotional surrender in participants by an increasingly orchestrated and theatrical ceremonialism. 2002, Colin Jones, The Great Nation, Penguin, published 2003, page 529:

Forms

Deriveds

disorchestrated · orchestrater · bandstrated · unorchestrated · reorchestrate · misorchestrate · overorchestrate

Relateds

orchestration · orchestrator

Translations (45)

es orquestar (to arrange or score music for performance by an orchestra) · ca orquestrar (to arrange or score music for performance by an orchestra) · fi järjestää (to arrange or direct diverse elements to achieve a desired effect) · hu hangszerel (to compose or arrange orchestral music for a dramatic performance) · el ενορχηστρώνω (to arrange or score music for performance by an orchestra) · fi organisoida (to arrange or direct diverse elements to achieve a desired effect) · ru организова́ть (to arrange or direct diverse elements to achieve a desired effect) · el ενορχηστρώνω (to arrange or direct diverse elements to achieve a desired effect) · ru организо́вывать (to arrange or direct diverse elements to achieve a desired effect) · es orquestar (to arrange or direct diverse elements to achieve a desired effect) · sh aranžirati (to arrange or direct diverse elements to achieve a desired effect) · nb iscenesette (to arrange or direct diverse elements to achieve a desired effect) · ru оркестрова́ть (to compose or arrange orchestral music for a dramatic performance) · fr orchestrer (to arrange or direct diverse elements to achieve a desired effect) · it orchestrare (to arrange or score music for performance by an orchestra) · de orchestrieren (to compose or arrange orchestral music for a dramatic performance) · de orchestrieren (to arrange or direct diverse elements to achieve a desired effect) · nb arrangere (to arrange or direct diverse elements to achieve a desired effect) · pt orquestrar (to arrange or direct diverse elements to achieve a desired effect) · sh orkestrirati (to compose or arrange orchestral music for a dramatic performance) · fr orchestrer (to compose or arrange orchestral music for a dramatic performance) · bg оркестрирам (to arrange or score music for performance by an orchestra) · fi säveltää (to compose or arrange orchestral music for a dramatic performance) · it orchestrare (to arrange or direct diverse elements to achieve a desired effect) · sv orkestrera (to arrange or score music for performance by an orchestra) · ca orquestrar (to compose or arrange orchestral music for a dramatic performance) · nb arrangere (to arrange or score music for performance by an orchestra) · fr orquestrer (to arrange or score music for performance by an orchestra) · ca orquestrar (to arrange or direct diverse elements to achieve a desired effect) · pl organizować (to arrange or direct diverse elements to achieve a desired effect) · pl zorganizować (to arrange or direct diverse elements to achieve a desired effect) · fi soitintaa (to arrange or score music for performance by an orchestra) · bg аранжирам (to arrange or direct diverse elements to achieve a desired effect) · pt orquestrar (to arrange or score music for performance by an orchestra) · it orchestrare (to compose or arrange orchestral music for a dramatic performance) · sh orkestrirati (to arrange or direct diverse elements to achieve a desired effect) · fi sovittaa (to compose or arrange orchestral music for a dramatic performance) · es orquestar (to compose or arrange orchestral music for a dramatic performance) · sv iscensätta (to arrange or direct diverse elements to achieve a desired effect) · cmn 编管弦乐曲 (to arrange or score music for performance by an orchestra) · sv orkestrera (to arrange or direct diverse elements to achieve a desired effect) · pt orquestrar (to compose or arrange orchestral music for a dramatic performance) · el ενορχηστρώνω (to compose or arrange orchestral music for a dramatic performance) · sv arrangera (to arrange or score music for performance by an orchestra) · ru инструментова́ть (to compose or arrange orchestral music for a dramatic performance)