- A vivid or graphic description: The movie was a tableau of a soldier's life.
- A striking incidental scene, as of a picturesque group of people: “New public figures suddenly abound in the hitherto faceless totalitarian tableaux” (John McLaughlin).
- An interlude during a scene when all the performers on stage freeze in position and then resume action as before.
- A tableau vivant.
[French, from Old French tablel, diminutive of table, surface prepared for painting. See table.]




