cameo

noun

cam·eo | \ ˈka-mē-ˌō

plural cameos

Definition of cameo

1a : a gem carved in relief (see relief entry 1 sense 6) especially : a small piece of sculpture on a stone or shell cut in relief in one layer with another contrasting layer serving as background

b : a small medallion (see medallion sense 2) with a profiled head in relief

2 : a carving or sculpture made in the manner of a cameo

3 : a usually brief literary or filmic piece that brings into delicate or sharp relief the character of a person, place, or event his cameos and short commentaries on men and manners— R. T. Dunlop

4 : a small theatrical role usually performed by a well-known actor and often limited to a single scene A major star appears in a cameo in the movie. broadly : a brief appearance or role

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Examples of cameo in a Sentence

He has a brief cameo in the film.

Recent Examples on the Web Bella Hadid made a cameo somewhere snowy in a full early ’00s look. — Liana Satenstein, Vogue, "The Best Fashion Instagrams of the Week: Cardi B, Rosalía, Grimes, and More," 27 Feb. 2021 Aside from that last-second cameo, the Longhorns’ sixth-year coach opted to roll with redshirt sophomore swingman Brock Cunningham over the ballyhooed freshman. — Nick Moyle, San Antonio Express-News, "Wild 'cowboy' Brock Cunningham gives Texas an edge," 26 Feb. 2021 Holland wouldn't also play a ruse around a Maguire and Garfield cameo, right? — Nick Romano, EW.com, "Guys! Tom Holland super promises there aren't three Spider-Men in Spider-Man 3," 24 Feb. 2021 Her sons, six-year-old Titan and newborn Noah, cameo in the video. — Zoe Haylock, Vulture, "Kelly Rowland Came to Collect With Her New EP, K," 19 Feb. 2021 Heather’s unrequested cameo sucks up a half-hour of screen time. — Ariana Romero, refinery29.com, "The Bachelor Brushed Past Bri’s Life-Altering Reveal. It’s Part Of A Much Bigger Problem," 16 Feb. 2021 The group's cameo came together fast and took place in the first week of filming Always and Forever in New York. — Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "How Lara Jean and Peter Found Their Song, "Beginning Middle End"," 13 Feb. 2021 Kurt Busch dropped a cinematic short two days before the Daytona 500 that blew the budget, featured a Vanilla Ice cameo and hinted at his NASCAR retirement. — Dan Gelston, Star Tribune, "Ready to retire? Kurt Busch leaves NASCAR fans guessing," 13 Feb. 2021 Kurt Busch dropped a cinematic short two days before the Daytona 500 that blew the budget, featured a Vanilla Ice cameo and hinted at his NASCAR retirement. — Dan Gelston, ajc, "Ready to retire? Kurt Busch leaves NASCAR fans guessing," 13 Feb. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'cameo.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.