centerpiece
Americannoun
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centerpieces
plural
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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:
Billed as “Davos in the Desert,” the annual FII gathering had become a centerpiece of his Vision 2030 agenda to turn the oil exporter into an international hub for business and tourism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026
Its centerpiece is Siri AI, the overhauled version of Apple’s assistant powered by Apple Intelligence, which the company is pitching as a more conversational helper than the original Siri.
From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2026
The role is a bit part, but features a showstopping centerpiece number, the kind of song musical theater performers eat, sleep and breathe.
From Salon ● Oct. 12, 2026
Ingram, the centerpiece of the Leonard trade, is a solid three-level scorer and will shoulder much of the offensive load alongside Garland — when healthy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
Northern congressmen, led by Fisher Ames of Massachusetts, accused him of threatening the survival of the republic by blocking the centerpiece of Hamilton's fiscal program, without which, they believed, the union would dissolve.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Groups of stakeholders including terminal operators, cruise lines and union representatives sat at large round tables with green table cloths and floral centerpieces.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 22, 2026
Family offices are often the centerpieces of wealthy families’ financial lives.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 26, 2025
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
Now Carroll is financially set for life, a bona fide MLB star, and one of the centerpieces of the World Series.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 31, 2023
Nuts and fruits filled the silver platters at the centerpieces of tables and sideboard.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
