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

Data from 2024 shows document and collage posts outperform other LinkedIn post types in terms of engagement rate. —Jodie Cook, Forbes, 12 Dec. 2024

Lawrence later added a collage of the couple's most recent three Christmas celebrations in the same location to his Instagram Stories. —Charna Flam, People.com, 11 Dec. 2024

The top row of a photo collage included Clark and Taylor Swift. —Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 30 Oct. 2024

The form of King’s book is like an intricate collage, gathering very different characters with the goal of concentrating on the surround, the context. —Jan Swafford, The Atlantic, 29 Oct. 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"