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.
Soft pieces of bread are drenched in a buttery mixture of Dijon mustard, brown sugar and Worcestershire before being baked into a golden, shareable centerpiece.
From Salon • Jun. 22, 2026
Surprisingly, the narrative still has some juice left in it, pulling off a big emotional centerpiece that calls back to the second film, when a single Sarah McLachlan song shattered hearts around the world.
From Salon • Jun. 21, 2026
Dylan Kendall, a longtime cat rescuer and advocate, made her background in animal welfare a centerpiece in her unsuccessful bid against Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 14, 2026
Most visitors will likely first go to the 225-foot-tall, granite-clad obelisk that is the complex’s centerpiece.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 4, 2026
I was prepared to spend my life in a cage as the centerpiece of their intergalactic zoo if it meant never returning to Calypso.
From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson
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.
