Arrange: Putting Things in Order, and Making Plans With People
To arrange is to put things in a deliberate order, or to organise an event with others. In music it means rewriting a piece for different instruments.
To arrange is to place things in a particular order — flowers, chairs, files — or to organise something that involves other people: a meeting, a delivery, a loan. Both senses are about imposing order on something that had none.
- To put in order. *Arrange the books by author.*
- To organise an event. *We arranged to meet at six.*
- To rewrite music. *He arranged the piece for strings.*
- To settle a matter. *Payment can be arranged.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | arrange | Arrange the chairs in a circle. |
| Past | arranged | It was arranged in advance. |
| Noun | arrangement | A seating arrangement. |
| Person | arranger | The arranger is credited separately. |
| Plural noun | arrangements | Funeral arrangements. |
How it is used in a sentence
- She arranged the meeting for Tuesday morning.Arrange something for a time.
- We arranged to call him back.Arrange to plus verb.
- The song was arranged for a full orchestra.The musical sense.
- Special arrangements can be made on request.The plural noun means provisions or plans.
Arrange, organise and order
- Order — put in sequence by a rule: alphabetical, by size
- Arrange — place deliberately, often for effect or convenience
- Organise — bring a whole activity together, usually involving people and time
From Old French *arengier*, to put in a rank or row, from *rang*, a rank — the same word behind English *range* and *rank*.
Arrange a meeting or arrange for a meeting?
Arrange a meeting is standard. Arrange for is used with a person or action: *arrange for someone to collect it*.
What does an arranger do in music?
Takes an existing composition and adapts it for different instruments, voices or styles, without changing the underlying tune.