Scene Definition & Meaning

American

British

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Related Words

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Examples

Related Words

Synonyms scene American [seen] / sin /

noun

1. the place where some action or event occurs.

   He returned to the scene of the accident.

   Synonyms: focus, center, location, stage, arena

2. any view or picture.

   The scene that lay before me, with its snow and colorful leaves, was beautiful.

3. an incident or situation in real life.

   She witnessed the scene at the restaurant as it happened.

   Synonyms: episode

4. an embarrassing outbreak or display of anger, strong feeling, or bad manners.

   Please don't make a scene in such a public place.

   Synonyms: show, spectacle, demonstration

5. a division of a play or of an act of a play, usually representing a passage of time in a single setting, featuring a specific character or group of characters.

   Scene Four takes place in a city park at dawn.

6. a unit of action or a segment of a story in a play, motion picture, or television show.

   The DVD contains many short scenes showing classic plane models at U.S. and European airports.

7. the place in which the action of a play or part of a play is supposed to occur.

8. scenery.

9. Literature.

   1. an episode, situation, or the like, as in a narrative.

   2. the setting or locale of a story.

10. the stage, especially of an ancient Greek or Roman theater.

11. an area or sphere of activity, current interest, etc..

    the rock music scene;

    the fashion scene.

idioms

1. make the scene, to appear in a particular place or engage in a particular activity.

   Let's make the scene downtown tonight. She was never one to make the drug scene.

2. behind the scenes. behind the scenes.

scene British / siːn /

noun

1. the place where an action or event, real or imaginary, occurs

2. the setting for the action of a play, novel, etc

3. an incident or situation, real or imaginary, esp as described or represented

4. 1. a subdivision of an act of a play, in which the time is continuous and the setting fixed

   2. a single event, esp a significant one, in a play

5. films a shot or series of shots that constitutes a unit of the action

6. the backcloths, stage setting, etc, for a play or film set; scenery

7. the prospect of a place, landscape, etc

8. a display of emotion, esp an embarrassing one to the onlookers

9. informal the environment for a specific activity

   the fashion scene

10. informal interest or chosen occupation

    classical music is not my scene

11. rare the stage, esp of a theatre in ancient Greece or Rome

12. out of public view; privately

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012 scene More Idioms

1. see behind the scenes; make a scene; make the scene; on the scene; set the scene for.

Related Words

See view.

Other Word Forms

• interscene noun

Etymology

Origin of scene

First recorded in 1530–40; from Latin scēna “background” (of the stage), from Greek skēnḗ “booth” (where actors dressed)

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

And it’s a scene playing out in family rooms across the country.

From The Wall Street Journal

In one tense scene with her white colleagues, Cosey winces at their version of historical enlightenment — the reclamation project is moving at a horse-drawn carriage’s pace.

From Los Angeles Times

The early scenes in Scarlet’s time period are conceived using the more traditional hand-drawn technique.

From Los Angeles Times

But behind the scenes, it actually reflected the reality of live television, where preparation meets unpredictability — yet where human lives remain more important than programming.

From Salon

An AFP reporter at the scene saw volunteers in tears, some embracing each other or sweeping away rubble.

From Barron's

Related Words

• arena
• display
• landscape
• location
• picture
• place
• scenery
• set
• setting
• show
• sight
• site
• spectacle
• spot
• stage
• theater
• view

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.