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

One study showed that kids who played with salt-dough for 25 minutes, rather than completing a text-copying task, were subsequently more creative in a collage activity. —Aytekin Tank, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024

The printer delivers glossy prints with vibrant colors, and the companion app provides useful features like collages, templates, and basic filters to enhance your photos all for under $100. —Shubham Yewale, PCMAG, 28 Oct. 2024

While some of the prices can reach into the thousands, original art—which includes photography, collages, canvas prints, oil paintings, and sculptures—starts at around $110, and limited-edition prints at $75. —Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 28 Oct. 2024

As a primer of sorts, Gordon’s game plan included having the youngsters create illustrations and mood boards by making collages, showing them how to create their own style using mood boards. —Rosemary Feitelberg, WWD, 10 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"