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

In just minutes on the highway though along with the brothers and friend Pika (Jacob Batalon), they all get involved in the single best, and most absurd, action set piece of the entire film. —Pete Hammond, Deadline, 26 Jan. 2026

Merino’s goal came from yet another set piece. —James McNicholas, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2026

The deep greens and cheery set pieces that mirror Seurat’s unmistakable style play well with Madeline Berger’s wide-ranging and highly effective costume design, all put together through David Mӧschler’s music direction. —David John Chávez, Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2026

Too often, set pieces and characters that should be crushing look like clutter, and even the sound design betrays a core misunderstanding of how horror movies fundamentally work. —Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 23 Jan. 2026

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