collage

noun

col·​lage kə-ˈläzh 

kȯ-,

kō-

1

a

: an artistic composition made of various materials (such as paper, cloth, or wood) glued on a surface

cut pictures from magazines to make a collage

b

: a creative work that resembles such a composition in incorporating various materials or elements

the album is a collage of several musical styles

2

: the art of making collages

an artist known for her use of collage

3

: hodgepodge

a collage of ideas

4

: a work (such as a film) having disparate scenes in rapid succession without transitions

collage transitive verb

collagist

kə-ˈlä-zhist 

kȯ-

kō-

noun

Synonyms

• agglomerate
• agglomeration
• alphabet soup
• assortment
• botch
• clutter
• crazy quilt
• farrago
• gallimaufry
• grab bag
• gumbo
• hash
• hodgepodge
• hotchpotch
• jambalaya
• jumble
• jungle
• litter
• macédoine
• medley
• mélange
• menagerie
• miscellanea
• miscellany
• mishmash
• mixed bag
• montage
• motley
• muddle
• olio
• olla podrida
• omnium-gatherum
• pastiche
• patchwork
• patchwork quilt
• potpourri
• ragbag
• ragout
• rummage
• salad
• salmagundi
• scramble
• shuffle
• smorgasbord
• stew
• tumble
• variety
• welter

Examples of collage in a Sentence

We made collages in art class.

an artist known for her use of collage

The album is a collage of several musical styles.

Recent Examples on the Web

In the days leading up to the draft, Williams also posted a collage of photos on his Instagram Stories, including one with his girlfriend. —Rebecca Aizin, Peoplemag, 26 Apr. 2024

Your photographs capture everyday life, distorted through collage, creating new playful forms of human bodies and objects, while still maintaining a documentary style. —Caterina De Biasio, Vogue, 12 Apr. 2024

Assemble absorbing art supplies (think: finger paint, sidewalk chalk, paint-by-numbers) or collect leaves and sticks outside for use in nature collages. —Alesandra Dubin, Parents, 21 Mar. 2024

Get creative, add stickers to a collage, and make memories last with this 2-in-1 label and photo printer. —Georgie Peru, PCMAG, 20 Mar. 2024

Mixing species provides a seasonally changing collage of different shades of green—blue-green, emerald green, mint green, dollar-bill green, and golden green. —Steve Bender, Southern Living, 17 Apr. 2024

Other composers made more persuasive ventures: solo-percussion works by Amadeo Roldán and by Edgard Varèse, early electronic experiments by Paul Hindemith and by Oskar Sala, noise collages by the young John Cage. —Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 15 Apr. 2024

The 3-year-old was next seen joined by her cousin Lexi and a couple of other young girls in a collage of photos posted as the group gathered around her cousin’s birthday cake and hung out together. —Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 7 Apr. 2024

Not all the collages are based on New York edifices, or buildings at all. —Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 5 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French, literally, gluing, from coller to glue, from colle glue, from Vulgar Latin *colla, from Greek kolla

First Known Use

1919, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

collage

noun

col·​lage kə-ˈläzh 

kȯ-,

kō-

: a work of art made by gluing pieces of different materials to a flat surface

Etymology

from French collage "gluing," from coller "to glue"