scene

[ seen ]

See synonyms for scene on Thesaurus.com

noun

the place where some action or event occurs: He returned to the scene of the accident.
any view or picture: The scene that lay before me, with its snow and colorful leaves, was beautiful.

an incident or situation in real life: She witnessed the scene at the restaurant as it happened.
an embarrassing outbreak or display of anger, strong feeling, or bad manners: Please don't make a scene in such a public place.
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.
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.
the place in which the action of a play or part of a play is supposed to occur.
scenery (def. 2).
Literature.
- an episode, situation, or the like, as in a narrative.
- the setting or locale of a story.
the stage, especially of an ancient Greek or Roman theater.
an area or sphere of activity, current interest, etc.: the rock music scene;the fashion scene.

Idioms about scene

behind the scenes. See entry at behind the scenes.
make the scene, Slang. 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.

Origin of scene

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

synonym study For scene

2. See view.

Other words for scene

1	arena, stage, location; center, focus
3	episode
4	demonstration, spectacle, show

See synonyms for scene on Thesaurus.com

Other words from scene

in·ter·scene, noun

Words that may be confused with scene

scene , seen

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use scene in a sentence

France 24 is providing live, round-the-clock coverage of both scenes as they progress.
LIVE Coverage of the Paris Terror Attacks | | January 9, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
And suddenly, we were able to come up with all these scenes for it.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness | Marlow Stern | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
The scenes between Johansson and Adam Pearson, a man with neurofibromatosis, are some of the most delicate and visceral this year.
Oscars 2015: The Daily Beast’s Picks, From Scarlett Johansson to ‘Boyhood’ | Marlow Stern | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
Finally, he takes us behind the scenes into how Obama came out in favor of marriage equality that same year.
The Real Story Behind the Fight for Marriage Equality | E.J. Graff | December 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
In 2015 I am looking forward to working with more people in the industry and doing crazier and crazier scenes!
Porn Stars on the Year in Porn: Drone Erotica, Belle Knox, and Wild Sex | Aurora Snow | December 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

Mrs. Woodbury paints in oils and water-colors; the latter are genre scenes, and among them are several Dutch subjects.
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D. | Clara Erskine Clement
I must aspire to the agitating transports of self-devotion, in scenes of sacrifice and peril!
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane Porter
Many times, in his dreams and in his waking thoughts, he had lived over scenes similar to this.
Ramona | Helen Hunt Jackson
He hurried to the Hotel d'Ettres; but the scenes of careless gaiety he saw there, seemed only to chafe his mind.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4 | Jane Porter
A verbal narrative has of course in itself nothing similar to the scenes and events of which it tells.
Children's Ways | James Sully

British Dictionary definitions for scene

scene

/ (siːn) /

noun

the place where an action or event, real or imaginary, occurs
the setting for the action of a play, novel, etc

an incident or situation, real or imaginary, esp as described or represented
- a subdivision of an act of a play, in which the time is continuous and the setting fixed
- a single event, esp a significant one, in a play
films a shot or series of shots that constitutes a unit of the action
the backcloths, stage setting, etc, for a play or film set; scenery
the prospect of a place, landscape, etc
a display of emotion, esp an embarrassing one to the onlookers
informal the environment for a specific activity: the fashion scene
informal interest or chosen occupation: classical music is not my scene
rare the stage, esp of a theatre in ancient Greece or Rome
behind the scenes out of public view; privately

Origin of scene

C16: from Latin scēna theatrical stage, from Greek skēnē tent, stage

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with scene

scene

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

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