centerpiece

noun cen·ter·piece \ -ˌpēs \

Definition of centerpiece

1 :an object occupying a central position; especially :an adornment in the center of a table

2 :one that is of central importance or interest in a larger whole

the centerpiece of a political agenda

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Examples of centerpiece in a Sentence

resolution of the original dispute became the centerpiece of the negotiations

Recent Examples of centerpiece from the Web

Ryan Nall, RB, 6-2, 234, Jr. – Big bruising runner, who totaled 951 rushing yards and 13 TDs last season, is the centerpiece of the offense and face of the program.

— percy allen, The Seattle Times, "Huskies sitting pretty again in Pac-12, thanks to plenty of talent and easy schedule," 29 Aug. 2017
President Donald Trump threatened Tuesday to bring the U.S. government to the brink of a shutdown if needed to pressure Congress into funding the border wall that was a centerpiece of his 2016 campaign.

— jennifer epstein, Bloomberg.com, "Trump Threatens Government Shutdown Over Border Wall Funding," 23 Aug. 2017
And four decades later, Mr. Baxley’s retort is the centerpiece of the former attorney generals’ statement.

— maggie astor, New York Times, "67 Former State Attorneys General Have a Message: Condemn Hate Bluntly," 22 Aug. 2017
Braising uses a large cut as centerpiece, and the cooking liquid gets cooked down into a kind of sauce served as accompaniment.

— francine maroukian, Popular Mechanics, "The Two Ways To Cook Meat Perfectly Every Time," 18 Aug. 2017
Stephenson was a centerpiece of this year's kite extravaganza.

— daniel i. dorfman, chicagotribune.com, "Kites flying high at botanic garden festival," 15 Aug. 2017
McCullough, who passed for 1,641 yards and rushed for 290, will be the centerpiece of Mason's second team.

— mike hutton, Post-Tribune, "Countdown to Football: Michigan City ranked No. 7 by the Post-Tribune," 11 Aug. 2017
Around 6 a.m. on Saturday, another crew would begin chopping and shredding the meat to go on sale by 8 a.m. by the pound and to be the centerpiece of the barbecue meal later that day.

— deborah yetter, The Courier-Journal, "Fancy Farm: Prayer, pork and get ready for the political put-downs," 5 Aug. 2017
The centerpiece of the event, at the 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, was a series of one-on-one interviews with entrepreneurs and leaders like Reese Witherspoon, Tory Burch, Sasheer Zamata, and Emily Weiss.

— The Hive, "The Biggest Challenges Female Founders Have Had to Overcome," 2 Aug. 2017

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

First Known Use of centerpiece

1803

centerpiece Synonyms

Synonyms

bottom line, bull's-eye, crux, core, essence, gist, heart, kernel, keynote, meat, meat and potatoes, net, nub, nubbin, nucleus, pith, pivot, point, root, sum

Related Words

course, direction, drift, tenor; body, content, substance; hypothesis, proposition, purport, subject, theme, thesis

CENTERPIECE Defined for English Language Learners

centerpiece

noun

Definition of centerpiece for English Language Learners

: a decoration (such as a group of flowers) that is placed in the center of a table
: the most important part of something

CENTERPIECE Defined for Kids

centerpiece

noun cen·ter·piece \ ˈsen-tər-ˌpēs \

Definition of centerpiece for Students

:a piece put in the center of something and especially a decoration (as flowers) for a table

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See words that rhyme with centerpiece Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for centerpiece Spanish Central: Translation of centerpiece Nglish: Translation of centerpiece for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of centerpiece for Arabic speakers

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centerpiece

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