conversation piece

Definition of conversation piece

1 : a painting of a group of persons in their customary surroundings

2 : something (such as a novel or unusual object) that stimulates conversation

Examples of conversation piece in a Sentence

The exotic plant in our living room is a conversation piece that guests always ask about.

Recent Examples on the Web All of these things are conversation pieces, which is part of the fun. — Katie Workman, NBC News, "Use this blueprint for an easy and elegant New Year's buffet," 30 Dec. 2019 Throughout the year, trends filtered in and out, but the demand for conversation pieces in diamond, platinum, and gold never wavered. — Janelle Okwodu, Vogue, "Diamonds! Sapphires! Golden Bras! Why 2019 Was the Year of Bling," 25 Dec. 2019 The elephants are background props, hulking conversation pieces. — Paul Kvinta, Outside Online, "I Bought an Elephant to Find Out How to Save Them," 12 Nov. 2019 From mismatched tables and chairs to the various antique décor and original brick walls, there are many conversation pieces for everyone. — Jennifer Rude Klett, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Wisconsin 'breakfast clubs' are like supper clubs, but with pancakes and hash browns instead of steak and relish trays," 30 Aug. 2019 Zabala’s modernist cooking is frequently fun and delicious, with Wonka-esque conversation pieces like a pizza slice fashioned out of meringue and a crisp turbo wing laminated in teriyaki sauce. — Los Angeles Times, "Newsletter: The best thing our restaurant critic ate this summer," 14 Sep. 2019 At least the California midcentury abode they’ve been assigned to for eternity is a conversation piece. — Ingela Ratledge Amundson, WSJ, "12 TV Series Whose Sets Will Intoxicate Design-Minded People," 21 June 2019 One of Grodner’s favorite finds, which has become a frequent conversation piece, is an antique library ladder that has claimed permanent residence in the kitchen. — Sarah Cook, al, "This Tuscaloosa home is ready for your gameday stay," 21 Aug. 2019 Bring that baby home and turn it into whatever your heart desires: a treehouse for the kids, a tiki bar by the pool, a backyard conversation piece. — Susannah Bryan, sun-sentinel.com, "You can buy your own lifeguard tower. Just get it off the beach.," 20 Aug. 2019

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

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Learn More about conversation piece

Dictionary Entries near conversation piece

conversationalist

conversation chair

conversation piece

conversation pit

Statistics for conversation piece

Last Updated

15 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Conversation piece.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conversation%20piece. Accessed 24 January 2020.

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