set piece

noun

plural set pieces

1

a

: a composition (as in literature, art, or music) executed in a fixed or ideal form often with studied artistry and brilliant effect

b

: a scene, depiction, speech, or event that is obviously designed to have an imposing effect

2

: a realistic piece of stage scenery standing by itself

3

: a precisely planned and conducted military operation

an offensive set piece that caught the enemy off guard

4

sports : a carefully planned sequence of movements performed by the members of a team (as in soccer)

A set piece can be used on either a direct or indirect type of [free] kick, providing one of the few times during the game that a team can execute something that it may have spent hours practicing.

—Doug Roberson

set-piece

ˈset-ˌpēs 

adjective

Examples of set piece in a Sentence

a movie with some lovely set pieces

She scored with a set piece.

Recent Examples on the Web

Enzo Fernandez leads the team with six big chances, scoring three times, while Chelsea’s improvement from set pieces means Trevoh Chalobah is second (three big chances, two goals). —Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025

Once Gabriel is essentially fired from being an angel and must contend with being human, Reeves turns every brand-new sensation, every fresh hell of disappointment into a minor comedic set pieces. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2025

The horror and action set pieces are riveting. —Robert Eggers, HollywoodReporter, 17 Oct. 2025

Costumes, props, and set pieces have since been used to refurbish the Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst, MA. —Joe Otterson, Variety, 14 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1834, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for set piece

• apiece
• aris
• assise
• caprice
• cerise
• decease
• decrease
• eyepiece
• facepiece
• handpiece
• headpiece
• increase