1
: one of the subdivisions of a play: such as
a
: a division of an act presenting continuous action in one place
b
: a single situation or unit of dialogue in a play
the love scene
c
: a motion-picture or television episode or sequence
2
a
: a stage setting
b
: a real or imaginary prospect suggesting a stage setting
a sylvan scene
3
: the place of an occurrence or action : locale
scene of the crime
4
: an exhibition of anger or indecorous behavior
He has stolen her salad, but she's too well-mannered to make a scene [=act in a disruptive way].—
Vincent Canby
Vincent Canby5
a
: sphere of activity
the drug scene
b
: situation
a bad scene
Phrases
behind the scenes
1
: out of public view
also
: in secret
2
: in a position to see the hidden workings
taken behind the scenes and told just how in fact the actual government … has operated—William Clark
William Clark
Examples of scene in a Sentence
The play's opening scene takes place in the courtyard.
The actor was nervous about his big scene.
Police are now at the scene.
Recent Examples on the Web
There was a quite interesting scene backstage before the show where one of the production assistant was very carefully making sure that there was the right amount of peanut butter and right amount of jelly.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 16 Apr. 2024
Webb said police arrested the teen at the scene in connection to the stabbings which left four people with non life-threatening injuries.
—USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
Jason was one of my favorite artists on the pop scene.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2024
The microscopic art scene The doodles represent an amusing a collision of technology and art.
—Alina Hartounian, NPR, 16 Apr. 2024
The 34-year-old man from Waukesha was pronounced dead at the scene by rescue workers shortly after the incident, which was reported to the Racine County Communications Center at 9:53 a.m.
—Jim Riccioli, Journal Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2024
Police initially responded to the area after a ShotSpotter activation and found two people suffering from gunshot wounds who died from their injuries at the scene, the department said.
—Remington Miller, arkansasonline.com, 16 Apr. 2024
Two people were treated at the scene, and two others were taken to a local hospital, police said.
—Antonio Planas, NBC News, 4 Apr. 2024
Two people in other vehicles were taken to a hospital with minor injuries; another two injured people were treated at the scene.
—David Ammenheuser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Apr. 2024
Chris Willman, Variety, 16 Apr. 2024
Webb said police arrested the teen at the scene in connection to the stabbings which left four people with non life-threatening injuries.
—USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
Jason was one of my favorite artists on the pop scene.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2024
The microscopic art scene The doodles represent an amusing a collision of technology and art.
—Alina Hartounian, NPR, 16 Apr. 2024
The 34-year-old man from Waukesha was pronounced dead at the scene by rescue workers shortly after the incident, which was reported to the Racine County Communications Center at 9:53 a.m.
—Jim Riccioli, Journal Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2024
Police initially responded to the area after a ShotSpotter activation and found two people suffering from gunshot wounds who died from their injuries at the scene, the department said.
—Remington Miller, arkansasonline.com, 16 Apr. 2024
Two people were treated at the scene, and two others were taken to a local hospital, police said.
—Antonio Planas, NBC News, 4 Apr. 2024
Two people in other vehicles were taken to a hospital with minor injuries; another two injured people were treated at the scene.
—David Ammenheuser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scene.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near scene
Cite this Entry
“Scene.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scene. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
scene
noun1
a
: a division of an act during which there is no change of scene or break in time
b
: a single situation or conversation in a play
the love scene
c
: a small part of a motion picture or a television program
2
a
: a stage setting
change scenes
b
: a view or sight that looks like a picture
a winter scene
3
: the place of an event or action : locale
the scene of the crime
4
: a display of anger or misconduct
made a scene when accused of the crime
5
a
: area of activity
the music scene
b
: situation sense 3
the scene got serious when the police arrived
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