collage

[ kuh-lahzh, koh- ]

noun

1. a technique of composing a work of art by pasting on a single surface various materials not normally associated with one another, as newspaper clippings, parts of photographs, theater tickets, and fragments of an envelope.
2. a work of art produced by this technique. Compare assemblage ( def 3 ).
3. an assemblage or occurrence of diverse elements or fragments in unlikely or unexpected juxtaposition:

   The experimental play is a collage of sudden scene shifts, long monologues, musical interludes, and slapstick.

4. a film that presents a series of seemingly unrelated scenes or images or shifts from one scene or image to another suddenly and without transition.

verb (used with object)

, col·laged, col·lag·ing.

1. to make a collage of:

   The artist has collaged old photos, cartoon figures, and telephone numbers into a unique work of art.

collage

/ kɔlaʒ; kɒ-; kəˈlɑːʒ /

noun

1. an art form in which compositions are made out of pieces of paper, cloth, photographs, and other miscellaneous objects, juxtaposed and pasted on a dry ground
2. a composition made in this way
3. any work, such as a piece of music, created by combining unrelated styles

Derived Forms

• colˈlagist, noun

Other Words From

• col·lagist noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of collage¹

1915–20; < French, equivalent to colle paste, glue (< Greek kólla ) + -age -age

Word History and Origins

Origin of collage¹

C20: French, from coller to stick, from colle glue, from Greek kolla

Example Sentences

The show includes a set of small collages and another series, executed with oil stick, that layer brighter colors on slate-toned fields.

From Washington Post

In seeking out evidence on patient-centered care, Mazzarelli and Trzeciak wound up reviewing 281 research articles that formed what they saw as a collage of evidence about the power of compassion.

From Freakonomics

While companies like Microsoft are trying to work around the collage of squares we’re used to by superimposing cutout figures at a table, for example, the fact is that staring intensely at faces for long periods of time is draining.

From MIT Technology Review

Mark Wamaling’s collage, subtitled “Mail-in Ballot for Alfred Jarry,” was inspired by the proto-Dadaist author of the play “Ubu Roi” and features multiple postmarks.

From Washington Post

Get adults to send photos of their creations and assemble a digital art collage to share with everyone.

From Ozy

Galeria is a collage of quotations: columns, chrome black tables, panels with English paisley fabric.

From The Daily Beast

An Afghan instructor explained the concept of collage in Dari.

From The Daily Beast

“This is my collage about a farm,” he said pointing out a rake, plant, and chicken.

From The Daily Beast

There is a photocopy collage of the mirrored image divided by bright colors to the right and a more muted palette to the left.

From The Daily Beast

I think the century of the self has provided us with this: the mechanization of celebrity, the artist as a public collage.

From The Daily Beast

The 143 collage system is also very prevalent in France among the working classes, and seems to answer well enough.

From Project Gutenberg

The method of collage employed at the Abbey of Hautvillers is said to have preserved the wines from this evil.

From Project Gutenberg

In the whiche Universite is no Collage founded by eny quene of England hidertoward.

From Project Gutenberg

During the last few years, the Collage has not raised enough of these trees to meet the demand.

From Project Gutenberg

Margaret had however called it the quenes collage of sainte Margarete and S. Bernard.

From Project Gutenberg