set piece

noun

|Updated on: 13 Aug 2018

Definition of set piece

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

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set-piece

play \ˈset-ˌpēs\ adjective

See set piece defined for English-language learners

Examples of set piece in a Sentence

a movie with some lovely set pieces
She scored with a set piece.

Recent Examples of set piece from the Web

After so many tournaments when these plays were a source of national embarrassment in England, no team has dominated set pieces at this World Cup like England.

— andrew beaton, WSJ, "England Continues Improbable World Cup Run," 7 July 2018
Solo has all that and set pieces that will satisfy folks who seek out big spectacles like the battles of Infinity War, the vistas of Gravity, or the MPH-stunts of The Fast and the Furious.

— nathan mattise, Ars Technica, "Solo film review: Best when it embraces its favorite action-movie urges," 24 May 2018
The Thorns were then punished on set pieces in their home loss to the Reign.

— jamie goldberg, OregonLive.com, "Portland Thorns focused on snapping winless streak against Orlando Pride," 11 May 2018
Northshore had its best chances to put points on the scoreboard on set pieces in the 34th and 35th minutes.

— andrew valenti, NOLA.com, "St. Scholastica 1, Northshore 0: Mary Lynn Schwing sends Doves to Division I championship match," 17 Feb. 2018
Forty-four percent of her set pieces resulted in either a goal or an assist.

— steve reaven, chicagotribune.com, "Pioneer Press 2018 All-Area girls soccer Second Team," 13 June 2018
Leibe took the set piece, with the ball deflecting off the hands of the Pegasus goalkeeper and landing at the feet of Riley McKibbin.

— andrew turner, latimes.com, "Daily Pilot Cup: Mariners Elementary blanks Pegasus in final," 4 June 2018
These movies are wonderful when they're all about set pieces, and world-building (shudder, that word).

— simon abrams, The Hollywood Reporter, "Dissecting 'Ready Player One' and Its Biggest Problem," 1 Apr. 2018
So many of this World Cup’s goals have come from set pieces and so too was the one that gave the host nation fresh life.

— martin rogers, USA TODAY, "Russia's underdog World Cup run comes to an end with PK loss to Croatia," 7 July 2018

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

First Known Use of set piece

1834

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

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SET PIECE Defined for English Language Learners

set piece

noun

Definition of set piece for English Language Learners

: a scene in a movie or play, an image in a painting, a piece of music, etc., that has a familiar style or pattern and that creates a particular and usually dramatic effect
: a carefully planned and performed group of movements in sports