centerpiece
Americannoun
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an ornamental object used in a central position, especially on the center of a dining-room table.
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the central or outstanding point or feature.
The centerpiece of the evening was a play put on by the employees.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of centerpiece
Explanation
The centerpiece of something is literally the piece that goes in the center — the centerpiece of a table setting might be a candle surrounded by roses. Centerpiece also refers to the most important part of something. Although it often refers to the decoration in the middle of a table, a centerpiece is the most important and noteworthy part of anything. The Thinker is the centerpiece of the Rodin Museum in Philadelphia. An indoor lagoon is the centerpiece of the Tonga Room in San Francisco. The right to vote became a centerpiece of the women’s rights movement in the late 1800’s. No matter what it is, a centerpiece should be impressive.
Vocabulary lists containing centerpiece
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The giant prop, which took roughly 250 actors and stunt performers to haul, is a centerpiece of Nolan’s moonshot adaptation of the epic poem.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
The horse would become a centerpiece in Nolan’s moonshot interpretation of “The Odyssey,” and a vessel for some of the movie’s most riveting scenes and important symbolism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
And when you want the centerpiece to feel unmistakably like summer, try making live lobster from Lobster Boys.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026
My family did not plan to make the World Cup the centerpiece of our summer, but once it began, we couldn’t stop watching.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
A ceramic Christmas tree, mounted with a photo of a freckle-faced girl with a missing front tooth, sits on the middle of the table like a centerpiece.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
Family offices are often the centerpieces of wealthy families’ financial lives.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 26, 2025
Some Muslims decorate their homes, put out Ramadan-themed tableware and centerpieces or throng to markets and Ramadan bazaars.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 7, 2024
A few centuries ago, pineapples could rack up as much as today’s equivalent of $8,000, and were available to rent as centerpieces for fancy dinner parties in Colonial America.
From Salon ● Mar. 2, 2024
Snoop and Dre were two of the centerpieces of the 2022 Super Bowl halftime show at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, where they paid homage to South L.A.’s music history.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 2, 2023
I soak in the Grand Banquet Hall: candelabras and centerpieces dripping with white and gold, animated ceiling frescoes of the royal family's bloodline, roses opening and closing to release their scents.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
