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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 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 For voters across the region, these twin crises have brought the economy back to center stage. — Dan Restrepo, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for center stage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for center stage
Noun
  • Dry complexions may get top billing here, but this lightweight overachiever plays just as nicely with combination, oily, acne-prone, and everything-in-between skin.
    — Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Summer may get top billing for vacations, but budget-conscious travelers may want to hold off until fall.
    — Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 7 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Accordingly, her tenure drew an intense spotlight, including her decision to take a short maternity leave.
    — Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The award marks a return to the Busan spotlight for Lee, whose debut feature, The Shoe Fairy, screened in the festival’s New Currents section in 2005.
    — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • Amalia Ulman’s 2025 film Magic Farm, about an American team’s desperation to manufacture a viral trend in rural Argentina, is minor cringe for its pleasurable skewering of the attention economy.
    — Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • No one was standing over my shoulder telling me to pay it special attention, but I was mesmerized.
    — Joan Martelli, Time, 17 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 21 Oct. 2026.

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