# montage

/mɑnˈtɑʒ/ (US) · /mˈɒntɑːʒ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/montage
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. film sequence

noun · CEFR B2

a series of short film clips shown quickly one after another, often with music, to show a long period of time passing.

For teachers: a cinematic technique in which a series of short shots are edited into a sequence to condense space, time, and information.

- The movie included a training montage showing the athlete getting stronger over several months.
- The director employed a fast-paced montage to illustrate the protagonist's rise to power over the course of a decade.

Usage: Often used with 'training' or 'opening' to describe specific film tropes.

### 2. artistic composition

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a single picture or piece of art made by joining many different images or objects together.

For teachers: a single composition created by juxtaposing or overlapping various pictorial elements, often from different sources.

- She created a beautiful montage of old family photos for her grandfather's birthday.
- The gallery featured a striking montage of industrial textures and urban landscapes, challenging the viewer's perception of city life.

### 3. to assemble

verb · CEFR C2 · Technical · Formal

to put different pieces of film, music, or pictures together into one work.

For teachers: to combine disparate elements into a composite work; to depict a subject through the process of montage.

- The editor spent hours trying to montage the news clips into a coherent story.
- The documentary-maker chose to montage archival footage with modern interviews to highlight the historical parallels.

## Examples

- The movie features a training montage showing the hero getting stronger.
- The documentary opens with a montage of historical news footage to set the scene for the 1960s.
- The artist's latest installation is a complex montage of industrial sounds and urban photography, designed to evoke the chaotic energy of a modern metropolis.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.