set piece

American  

[set pees] / ˈsɛt ˌpis /

noun

1. Theater. a piece of scenery used as part of a stage set, as a profile or three-dimensional construction built to stand independently on the stage floor.

   A few set pieces simulating rocks and a fence constituted the scenery for the first act.

2. a work of art, literature, music, etc., having a prescribed thematic and formal structure.

   the set pieces of Restoration comedy.

3. a scene, action, or the like, having a conventional form and functioning as part of the structure of a work of art, literature, etc.

4. a military operation carried out according to a rigid plan.

5. Also called set play.  Sports. a coordinated maneuver with team players in a preplanned formation when the ball re-enters active play, as a corner kick in soccer.

   The team’s dedicated practice time for set pieces paid off in their penalty kick results this year.

6. (in a novel, narrative poem, or the like) a passage more or less extraneous to the sequence of events, introduced to supply background, color, or the like.

7. an arrangement of slow-burning fireworks forming a design or composition when lighted.

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set piece British  

noun

1. a work of literature, music, etc, often having a conventional or prescribed theme, intended to create an impressive effect

2. a piece of scenery built to stand independently as part of a stage set

3. a display of fireworks

4. sport a rehearsed team manoeuvre, usually attempted in continuous games at a restart of play, esp when the other side has been penalized for improper play

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Etymology

Origin of set piece

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

The annual set piece before a joint session of Congress in early March of that year offered him an opportunity—a requirement, really—to show that he was capable of doing the job for another four years.

From Slate • Feb. 24, 2026

The “Hamlet” production is a fantastic set piece, with man-made sets and Shakespeare’s theatre-in-the-round filmed as accurately and affectionately as the nature that consumes so much of the film’s first two acts.

From Salon • Nov. 30, 2025

It contains much subtle humor, but the concluding set piece, with longhorns roaming the streets of Los Angeles and comedically terrifying its denizens, remains the movie’s high point.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 17, 2025

When former longtime WWE CEO Vince McMahon dreamt up WrestleMania more than 40 years ago, he envisaged a Superbowl-style set piece event to unite the franchise's commercial partnerships and burrow it deeper within popular culture.

From BBC • Apr. 18, 2025

“It’s the backdrop in the room, an old set piece from Di Shturem....”

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

Related Words

• scenery
• tableau