scene

American  

[seen] / sin /

noun

• scenes
  plural

1. the place where some action or event occurs.

   He returned to the scene of the accident.

   Synonyms:

   focus, center, location, stage, arena

2. any view or picture.

   The scene that lay before me, with its snow and colorful leaves, was beautiful.

3. an incident or situation in real life.

   She witnessed the scene at the restaurant as it happened.

   Synonyms:

   episode

4. an embarrassing outbreak or display of anger, strong feeling, or bad manners.

   Please don't make a scene in such a public place.

   Synonyms:

   show, spectacle, demonstration

5. a division of a play or of an act of a play, usually representing a passage of time in a single setting, featuring a specific character or group of characters.

   Scene Four takes place in a city park at dawn.

6. a unit of action or a segment of a story in a play, motion picture, or television show.

   The DVD contains many short scenes showing classic plane models at U.S. and European airports.

7. the place in which the action of a play or part of a play is supposed to occur.

8. scenery.

9. Literature.

   1. an episode, situation, or the like, as in a narrative.

   2. the setting or locale of a story.

10. the stage, especially of an ancient Greek or Roman theater.

11. an area or sphere of activity, current interest, etc..

    the rock music scene;

    the fashion scene.

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idioms

1. make the scene, to appear in a particular place or engage in a particular activity.

   Let's make the scene downtown tonight. She was never one to make the drug scene.

2. behind the scenes. see behind the scenes.

scene British  

/ siːn /

noun

1. the place where an action or event, real or imaginary, occurs

2. the setting for the action of a play, novel, etc

3. an incident or situation, real or imaginary, esp as described or represented

4. 1. a subdivision of an act of a play, in which the time is continuous and the setting fixed

   2. a single event, esp a significant one, in a play

5. films a shot or series of shots that constitutes a unit of the action

6. the backcloths, stage setting, etc, for a play or film set; scenery

7. the prospect of a place, landscape, etc

8. a display of emotion, esp an embarrassing one to the onlookers

9. informal the environment for a specific activity

   the fashion scene

10. informal interest or chosen occupation

    classical music is not my scene

11. rare the stage, esp of a theatre in ancient Greece or Rome

12. out of public view; privately

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scene More Idioms  

1. see behind the scenes; make a scene; make the scene; on the scene; set the scene for.

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Synonym Usage

See view.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• interscene
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• scenes
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of scene

First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin scēna “background” (of the stage), from Greek skēnḗ “booth” (where actors dressed)

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Explanation

A scene is where something happens or happened. How did you know that the thief would return to the scene of the crime? Scene can also describe part of a movie or a play. Did the last scene make you laugh, cry, or fall asleep? There are lots of common phrases that use the word scene. If you “make a scene,” you draw attention to yourself with some kind of outburst. If something happens “behind the scenes,” the public doesn't know about it.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

scene scenes

One officer, wearing a face covering and a vest emblazoned with “POLICE ICE,” tells onlookers to back away from the scene, ordering them, “Do not impede with the arrest.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2026

An AFP reporter on site noted ambulances and multiple police cars at the scene as police cordoned off the area -- one of Poland's landmark tourist hotspots popular with locals and foreign visitors.

From Barron's ● Nov. 7, 2026

The Riverside County Fire Department wrote in a statement Friday afternoon that its firefighters were “on scene of traumatic injuries involving two skydivers.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2026

The Waitresses emerged from New York's fertile new wave / post-punk scene in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

Our eyes took in every detail of the scene; our brains refused.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

They praised MHK Joney Faraghar, who they approached in 2024, saying she had done "a lot of work behind the scenes for this".

From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2026

Behind the scenes, Iran is still negotiating a number of proposals with the mediators and has shown some openness to discussing nuclear issues, but has yet to offer any concrete compromises, mediators have said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

Rose, 45, created her namesake menswear label in London in 2007, with styles inspired by the rave and hip-hop scenes as well as punk and football.

From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026

No one has yet entered the presidential race but potential candidates will be preparing behind the scenes.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

At Hoover’s request, Agent Burger had even written up fictional scenes, which were shared with the program’s producers.

From "Killers of the Flower Moon" by David Grann

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Related Words

• arena
• display
• landscape
• location
• picture
• place
• scenery
• set
• setting
• show
• sight
• site
• spectacle
• spot
• stage
• theater
• view

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