tableau

noun tab·leau \ ˈta-ˌblō , ta-ˈblō \

Definition of tableau

plural tableaux play \-ˌblōz, -ˈblōz\ also tableaus

1 :a graphic description or representation :picture

winsome tableaux of old-fashioned literary days
—J. D. Hart

2 :a striking or artistic grouping :arrangement, scene

[short for tableau vivant (from French, literally, living picture)]

:a depiction of a scene usually presented on a stage by silent and motionless costumed participants

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See tableau defined for kids

Examples of tableau in a Sentence

The houses are grouped together in a charming tableau.

Recent Examples of tableau from the Web

During a recent outing to a fancy restaurant, Andy Rubin spotted an all-too-familiar tableau: a couple on what seemed to be a first date taking pictures of their food and then losing themselves in their smartphones for the next 10 minutes.

— Fortune, "Android Co-Founder Has a Plan to Cure Our Smartphone Addiction," 18 Aug. 2017
Spicer, who resigned under contentious circumstances but plans to stay on through August, also was part of an odd tableau Tuesday.

— philip rucker, Washington Post, "Trump famously said, ‘You’re fired!’ But he tends to demean rather than dismiss.," 25 July 2017
Rather than simply imitating birdsong, though, Messiaen envisioned full portraits of nature scenes, whether pastoral tableaux or instrumental renderings of interspecies confrontations.

— peter margasak, Chicago Reader, "Great French pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard plays Messiaen’s monumental study of birdsong, Catalogue D’oiseaux," 20 July 2017
As leaders gathered at a summit hall in Hamburg for a group photo, Trump and Putin stood on opposite sides of the tableau.

— darlene superville and ken thomas, The Christian Science Monitor, "Grins and handshakes as Trump meets Putin at leaders' retreat," 7 July 2017
The dresses flutter, the crickets hum and the cast poses for a final soft tableau, the faces and fabrics seeming to shimmer in the sunlight.

— moira macdonald, charlotteobserver, "Movie review: In ‘The Beguiled,’ a girls school turns out to be an unsafe refuge," 28 June 2017
The dresses flutter, the crickets hum and the cast poses for a final soft tableau, the faces and fabrics seeming to shimmer in the sunlight.

— moira macdonald, charlotteobserver, "Movie review: In ‘The Beguiled,’ a girls school turns out to be an unsafe refuge," 28 June 2017
The dresses flutter, the crickets hum and the cast poses for a final soft tableau, the faces and fabrics seeming to shimmer in the sunlight.

— moira macdonald, charlotteobserver, "Movie review: In ‘The Beguiled,’ a girls school turns out to be an unsafe refuge," 28 June 2017
The dresses flutter, the crickets hum and the cast poses for a final soft tableau, the faces and fabrics seeming to shimmer in the sunlight.

— moira macdonald, charlotteobserver, "Movie review: In ‘The Beguiled,’ a girls school turns out to be an unsafe refuge," 28 June 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of tableau

French, from Middle French tablel, diminutive of table, from Old French

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First Known Use: 1660

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TABLEAU Defined for English Language Learners

tableau

noun

Definition of tableau for English Language Learners

: a view or sight that looks like a picture
: a scene that typically shows an event in history or literature and that is created on a stage by a group of people who are dressed in costumes and who do not speak or move

TABLEAU Defined for Kids

tableau

noun tab·leau \ ˈta-ˌblō \

Definition of tableau for Students

plural tableaux also tableaus \-ˌlōz\

:a scene or event shown by a group of persons who remain still and silent

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See words that rhyme with tableau Spanish Central: Translation of tableau Nglish: Translation of tableau for Spanish speakers

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tableau

Definition of tableau

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TABLEAU Defined for English Language Learners

tableau

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tableau

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