set piece
Americannoun
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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.
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a work of art, literature, music, etc., having a prescribed thematic and formal structure.
the set pieces of Restoration comedy.
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a scene, action, or the like, having a conventional form and functioning as part of the structure of a work of art, literature, etc.
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a military operation carried out according to a rigid plan.
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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.
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(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.
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an arrangement of slow-burning fireworks forming a design or composition when lighted.
noun
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a work of literature, music, etc, often having a conventional or prescribed theme, intended to create an impressive effect
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a piece of scenery built to stand independently as part of a stage set
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a display of fireworks
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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
Etymology
Origin of set piece
First recorded in 1840–50
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The club has perfected the grim work of scoring from set pieces to the point where they have evolved into Arsenal’s most dangerous offensive situations.
As Fennell trots along Brontë’s tentpoles, she dusts the narrative between these plot points with sensational set pieces and eye-popping costumes.
From Salon
Spurs have badly lacked for creativity from open play throughout Frank's first season but have compensated thanks to their strength from set pieces.
From Barron's
Mr. Besson’s chief innovation is to take the basic story and support it with grandiose set pieces relying heavily on digital effects.
“The fact that they also inhabited the movie was tremendously important to us. When it came to the set pieces we could ask, ‘What’s real?
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
