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 move highlights the importance of technology development and the growing role of Disney+ as the company’s so-called digital centerpiece under new chief executive Josh D’Amaro.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
Talarico has made the New Testament command to love thy neighbor a centerpiece of his campaign.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
“GameStop has closed hundreds of stores in recent years, which means the physical footprint that would presumably be the centerpiece of this partnership is already shrinking,” she said over email.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
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
I’m supposed to make a centerpiece out of waxed maple leaves, acorns, ribbon, and a mile of thin wire.
From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson
Others became true centerpieces or gave me a new idea for how to bring people together.
From Salon ● Jul. 12, 2026
Family offices are often the centerpieces of wealthy families’ financial lives.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 26, 2025
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
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
The centerpieces are elaborate floral arrangements with only the brightest of blooms.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
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.
