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:
The centerpiece of her campaign is a plan to create a state-backed risk pool to handle disaster claims, while making insurance more affordable and available.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Throughout Rimpac, the USS Theodore Roosevelt—known as the “Big Stick”—served as a centerpiece to the exercises.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
The repertoire will include Angelin Preljocaj’s pas de deux from “Le Parc,” Maurice Béjart’s “The Firebird” and his choreography for Maurice Ravel’s “Bolero,” which is the centerpiece of the event.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
For a more classic grilled centerpiece, 44 Farms’ 16-ounce prime boneless ribeyes are rich, well-marbled and substantial enough to anchor the whole meal.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026
Following this advice, my teacher said, the colonists grew so much maize that it became the centerpiece of the first Thanksgiving.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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
For another meal, where she planned to use decorative kale centerpieces, she chose green and purple dishes and table linens to reflect the coloring of the leaves.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 30, 2023
Mr. Brooks, 32, saved money on her wedding in December by creating centerpieces with old family books and wood bouquets rather than fresh flowers.
From Washington Times ● Jun. 5, 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.
