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

Goals from midfielders Sam Coffey and Claire Hutton opened the scoring in the first half; both were results of set pieces delivered by the third midfielder in their lineup, Rose Lavelle. —Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 3 July 2025

Yes, those months in London were a set piece in my mind, but set pieces are not short stories. —Jhumpa Lahiri, New Yorker, 30 June 2025

The spry assistance of stagehands, who not only move set pieces but help flesh out the world of the play, is a jaunty touch. —Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2025

Populated by unhinged men and masochistic women, and punctuated by fiery, increasingly histrionic set pieces, Smoke fails to reconcile its mood of noirish nihilism with its efforts at social commentary. —Judy Berman, Time, 27 June 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