montage

1 of 2

noun

mon·​tage män-ˈtäzh 

mōⁿ(n)-

1

: the production of a rapid succession of images in a movie to illustrate an association of ideas

2

a

: a literary, musical, or artistic composite (see composite entry 2 sense 1) of juxtaposed more or less heterogeneous elements

b

: a composite picture made by combining several separate pictures

3

: a heterogeneous mixture : jumble

a montage of emotions

a montage of sounds

montage

2 of 2

verb

montaged; montaging

transitive verb

: to combine into or depict in a montage

Synonyms

Noun

• agglomerate
• agglomeration
• alphabet soup
• assortment
• botch
• clutter
• collage
• crazy quilt
• farrago
• gallimaufry
• grab bag
• gumbo
• hash
• hodgepodge
• hotchpotch
• jambalaya
• jumble
• jungle
• litter
• macédoine
• medley
• mélange
• menagerie
• miscellanea
• miscellany
• mishmash
• mixed bag
• 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 montage in a Sentence

Noun

a photographer who often uses montage in her pictures

my memories of the childhood trip are a montage of the sights, smells, and sounds of India

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The trailer is mostly a montage of Los Angeles palm trees and lavish offices with men and women in stylish suits (obviously). —Declan Gallagher, EW.com, 8 Dec. 2024

Life as a stay-at-home mom is, however, immediately sketched out as an endless montage of cooking, cleaning, story reading, swing pushing — higher, higher, higher! — and acting as her child’s insta-playdate. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 6 Dec. 2024

Verb

Among them were a video montaging victims of state violence that placed Anne Frank alongside the Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. —Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 31 Jan. 2024

From that welcome jolt, the relationship jumps to an awkward morning after and then a getting-to-know-you montage, complete with walks on the beach. —Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Dec. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from French, "act of rising, act of moving things to a higher place, assembly of a mechanism from its components, editing of film shots to make a coherent whole," from monter "to climb, get up onto (a horse), move to a higher place, assemble from component parts, assemble (film shots) into a coherent whole" (going back to Old French, "to climb, get up onto a horse, set up") + -age — more at mount entry 2

Verb

derivative of montage entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1929, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1944, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

montage

noun

mon·​tage

män-ˈtäzh,

mōn-

1

: an artistic composition made up of several different kinds of items (as strips of newspaper, pictures, bits of wood) arranged together

2

: a rapid succession of distinct scenes or images in a motion picture to illustrate associated ideas