arrangement

American  

[uh-reynj-muhnt] / əˈreɪndʒ mənt /

noun

1. an act of arranging; state of being arranged.

2. the manner or way in which things are arranged.

   a tactful arrangement of the seating at dinner.

3. a final settlement; adjustment by agreement.

   The arrangement with the rebels lasted only two weeks.

4. Usually arrangements. preparatory measures; plans; preparations.

   They made arrangements for an early departure.

5. something arranged in a particular way.

   a floral arrangement; the arrangement of chairs for the seminar.

6. Music.

   1. the adaptation of a composition to voices or instruments, or to a new purpose.

   2. a piece so adapted.

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idioms

1. final arrangements, the planning or scheduling of funeral services and burial.

   Final arrangements are still pending.

arrangement British  

/ əˈreɪndʒmənt /

noun

1. the act of arranging or being arranged

2. the form in which things are arranged

   he altered the arrangement of furniture in the room

3. a thing composed of various ordered parts; the result of arranging

   a flower arrangement

4. (often plural) a preparatory measure taken or plan made; preparation

5. an agreement or settlement; understanding

6. an adaptation of a piece of music for performance in a different way, esp on different instruments from those for which it was originally composed

7. an adaptation (of a play, etc) for broadcasting

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Other Word Forms

• rearrangement noun

Etymology

Origin of arrangement

From French, dating back to 1720–30; see origin at arrange, -ment

Explanation

When you organize things in an orderly way, the result is called an arrangement. If you admire your friend's arrangement of his living room furniture, you might go home and make a similar arrangement. Your brother might keep an arrangement of Lego creations on his desk, and you could put an arrangement of wildflowers in a vase in the middle of your kitchen table. Another kind of arrangement is one you make when you negotiate an agreement with another person: "We have an arrangement — she gives me a ride to school and I walk her dog in the afternoon." The Old French root, arengier, means "to set in a row."

Example Sentences

The arrangement is currently being trialled on the Bakerloo line on a voluntary basis to test its viability.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

American forces stowed a shadow-fleet tanker it pursued from Venezuela in a British port earlier this year, but Rowlands said he wasn’t aware of any agreements that would enable a similar arrangement with Gulf states.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

Beyond the stop-gap arrangement with Allen, network executives acknowledged they don’t have a long-term plan for the late-night hours — but development executives are working on it.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

Given that you say one brother is not reliable and the other brother is responsible half of the time, it does not seem wise to enter a financial arrangement with them.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 14, 2026

The Fall had partly disrupted this perfect arrangement, forcing human beings to labour to survive; but the original architecture of the universe was still visible for all to see.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• adjustment
• agreement
• compromise
• deal
• package
• plan
• preparation
• provision
• schedule
• settlement