scene

American  

[seen] / sin /

noun

1. the place where some action or event occurs.

   He returned to the scene of the accident.

   Synonyms:

   focus , center , location , stage , arena

2. any view or picture.

   The scene that lay before me, with its snow and colorful leaves, was beautiful.

3. an incident or situation in real life.

   She witnessed the scene at the restaurant as it happened.

   Synonyms:

   episode

4. an embarrassing outbreak or display of anger, strong feeling, or bad manners.

   Please don't make a scene in such a public place.

   Synonyms:

   show , spectacle , demonstration

5. a division of a play or of an act of a play, usually representing a passage of time in a single setting, featuring a specific character or group of characters.

   Scene Four takes place in a city park at dawn.

6. a unit of action or a segment of a story in a play, motion picture, or television show.

   The DVD contains many short scenes showing classic plane models at U.S. and European airports.

7. the place in which the action of a play or part of a play is supposed to occur.

8. scenery.

9. Literature.

   1. an episode, situation, or the like, as in a narrative.

   2. the setting or locale of a story.

10. the stage, especially of an ancient Greek or Roman theater.

11. an area or sphere of activity, current interest, etc..

    the rock music scene;

    the fashion scene.

---

idioms

1. make the scene,  to appear in a particular place or engage in a particular activity.

   Let's make the scene downtown tonight. She was never one to make the drug scene.

2. behind the scenes.  behind the scenes.

scene British  

/ siːn /

noun

1. the place where an action or event, real or imaginary, occurs

2. the setting for the action of a play, novel, etc

3. an incident or situation, real or imaginary, esp as described or represented

4. 1. a subdivision of an act of a play, in which the time is continuous and the setting fixed

   2. a single event, esp a significant one, in a play

5. films a shot or series of shots that constitutes a unit of the action

6. the backcloths, stage setting, etc, for a play or film set; scenery

7. the prospect of a place, landscape, etc

8. a display of emotion, esp an embarrassing one to the onlookers

9. informal  the environment for a specific activity

   the fashion scene

10. informal  interest or chosen occupation

    classical music is not my scene

11. rare  the stage, esp of a theatre in ancient Greece or Rome

12. out of public view; privately

---

scene More Idioms  

1. see behind the scenes; make a scene; make the scene; on the scene; set the scene for.

---

Related Words

See view.

Other Word Forms

• interscene noun

Etymology

Origin of scene

First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin scēna “background” (of the stage), from Greek skēnḗ “booth” (where actors dressed)

Example Sentences

Each of the new opera’s five scenes in Act 1 and three in Act 2 are wondrous worlds of their own.

From Los Angeles Times

Authorities are working with families gathered at the scene of the disaster to try to determine exactly how many people still need to be found.

From BBC

One investor concern, he noted, is that the company sits on “significant long-lived lease obligations” and would likely still be on the hook for many of them regardless of how the AI scene shakes out.

From MarketWatch

But behind the scenes, artificial-intelligence researchers are pushing into new approaches that could pack an even bigger payoff.

From The Wall Street Journal

“I have to go to my son’s basketball game after this. I don’t want to re-create the scene from ‘Hoosiers.’”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• arena
• display
• landscape
• location
• picture
• place
• scenery
• set
• setting
• show
• sight
• site
• spectacle
• spot
• stage
• theater
• view