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

Etymology

Origin of scene

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

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

It said officers spoke with Clarkson at the scene on Thursday, adding that no arrests had been made and anyone with information should get in contact.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

Brazilian syncopation snakes through Ted Tetzlaff’s shadowy lighting, giving the scene a unique tension.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

But one of the things to wonder at amid the good vibes is whether a different, more coherent, more sober scene would have been more meaningful, more enduring.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026

A closer look at the August 24 scene is shown at the top of this article.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 4, 2026

Nestled in the heart of this happy scene was the familiar outline of the Swanburne Academy.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

Webb—who contributed to “Bringing Up Baby,” “Out of the Past” and dozens of other pictures—weaves a unique spell, enhanced by hip, swingy Brazilian source music in the scenes set in Rio de Janeiro.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

"During the earthquake, officials were hardly seen on the ground," Dixit said, contrasting that 2015 response with the scenes from this disaster.

From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026

It is believed that the final scenes of the tapestry have been lost or destroyed, as it has not always had such careful owners.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

For the bill at Ocean Way, Goldenvoice broke from its usual fine-grained approach to genres and subcultural scenes for a broad but unmistakably beach-day-vibe collection of acts.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

They hadn’t changed a thing—same scenes from old episodes, same light country music.

From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry

Related Words

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