tableau

American  

[ta-bloh, tab-loh] / tæˈbloʊ, ˈtæb loʊ /

noun

plural

tableaux, tableaus

1. a picture, as of a scene.

2. a picturesque grouping of persons or objects; a striking scene.

3. a representation of a picture, statue, scene, etc., by one or more persons suitably costumed and posed.

4. Solitaire. the portion of a layout to which one may add cards according to suit or denomination.

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tableau British  

/ ˈtæbləʊ /

noun

1. See tableau vivant

2. a pause during or at the end of a scene on stage when all the performers briefly freeze in position

3. any dramatic group or scene

4. logic short for semantic tableau

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Etymology

Origin of tableau

First recorded in 1690–1700; from French: “board, picture,” Middle French tablel, diminutive of table table

Example Sentences

One almost gets a sense that the great doers of history were like robots, temporarily inhabited by an otherworldly spiritual force or, alternatively, were stick figures that Hegel moved about on his grandiose world-historical tableau.

From Salon • Mar. 28, 2026

You can feel it in the way Emily looks out her father’s window to the lake beyond, the wintery tableau both tranquil and poignant.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 24, 2025

But as the company grew, marketing its locations as a tableau in which to “stay awhile” ultimately meant there was a finite number of people they could sell coffee to per day.

From Slate • Dec. 22, 2025

It’s a fleeting tableau, but it reveals the whole story: even the most forsaken creation reaches for connection the moment he’s given something warm to hold in his hands.

From Salon • Nov. 16, 2025

Behind the riders, the Methodist church staged a patriotic tableau, and then the children of the Wolf Creek School—minus their star pupil, Chase—marched, adorned with blue sashes and singing “Over There.”

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson

Related Words

• illustration
• spectacle