Definition of "centerpiece" [cen•ter•piece]

• Something in a central position, especially a decorative object or arrangement placed at the center of a table. (noun)
• The central or most important feature: "Now comes decontrol, the centerpiece of [the President's] energy program” ( Tom Alexander). (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The term centerpiece is often incorrectly used as a synonym for flowers."
• "A Clinton spokesman said she would showcase what he called the "centerpiece" of U.S. trade policy with the continent."
• "As with every Democratic initiative, the centerpiece is a massive tax increase on productive members of society so the liberals can buy votes from the unproductive."
• "A Clinton spokesman said she would showcase what he called the "centerpiece" of U.S. trade policy with the continent."
• "I have been eyeballing cans too --- I think using them as a centerpiece is a lovely idea!"
• "Its centerpiece is a futuristic, crescent-shaped steel roof that floats above the stadium seats."