center stage

Definition of center stagenext
as in top billing
the center of public attention a public health problem that has moved to center stage in recent years

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of center stage Senate and House debates return to center stage this week as candidates nationwide make their cases to voters less than a month before Election Day. — Sudiksha Kochi, The Hill, 11 Oct. 2026 Hilton’s attack on Becerra’s dad was never meant for a California audience, where the Latino experience of fluidity in geography and identity holds center stage. — Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026 The Division Series matchups see the American League taking center stage today with the Gurdians playing against the White Sox, and the Rays taking on the Yankees. — Outkick, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2026 Two years after the attack, Hall stood center stage on prostheses, in a suit that ended just above his knees. — David Folkenflik, NPR, 4 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for center stage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for center stage
Noun
  • Sharing top billing is Cézanne’s Tasse, verre et fruits, a still life painted around 1877 that features apples, a cup, and a glass arranged on a tabletop.
    — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 26 Oct. 2026
  • The chicken wings, tenders and sandwiches get top billing here.
    — Bud Kennedy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • At last, Harrison Butker has a reprieve from the widening public spotlight — but only because its glow is shining instead on a kicker more unsettling than the one enduring a slump.
    — Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Piker’s popularity among young left-leaning voters has propelled him beyond the internet and into the national spotlight as a prominent voice on the American left.
    — Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 29 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Its fictional characters secretly controlled small workplace decisions without attracting attention.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 31 Oct. 2026
  • Our server was effusive in her congratulations and attention, especially to my husband’s nut aversion.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Chris Evans and his wife Alba Baptista, 29, can count themselves among Hollywood’s most limelight-shy couples.
    — Lara Walsh, InStyle, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Yet somehow, the 469 square miles of New York City tend to hog all the limelight.
    — Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 12 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Toronto was in the catbird seat, just six outs away from the Fall Classic.
    — Joe Kozlowski, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Carter Jensen always dreamed of sitting in the catbird seat at Kauffman Stadium.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 7 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Center stage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/center%20stage. Accessed 31 Oct. 2026.

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