cameo

noun

cam·​eo ˈka-mē-ˌō 

plural cameos

1

a

: a gem carved in relief (see relief entry 1 sense 6)

especially : a small piece of sculpture on a stone or shell cut in relief in one layer with another contrasting layer serving as background

b

: a small medallion (see medallion sense 2) with a profiled head in relief

2

: a carving or sculpture made in the manner of a cameo

3

: a usually brief literary or filmic piece that brings into delicate or sharp relief the character of a person, place, or event

his cameos and short commentaries on men and manners

—R. T. Dunlop

4

: a small theatrical role usually performed by a well-known actor and often limited to a single scene

A major star appears in a cameo in the movie.

broadly : a brief appearance or role

cameo adjective

cameo verb, transitive + intransitive

Examples of cameo in a Sentence

He has a brief cameo in the film.

Recent Examples on the Web

In September, Webb promoted the cutter from cameo status, throwing it on 11.6% of his pitches. —Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2025

Marvel films typically keep some surprise cameos under wraps, meaning the epic list of stars may not even be complete. —Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 26 Mar. 2025

Kinsey also appeared in the Netflix films Tall Girl (2019) and Tall Girl 2 (2022) and made her Lifetime debut in Confessions of a Christmas Letter (2024), which featured a cameo from her former Office costar, Brian Baumgartner. —Jodi Guglielmi, People.com, 24 Mar. 2025

One cameo viewers will see when the first two episodes drop March 26 is Sarah Polley directing Greta Lee in a one-take scene that Matt, simply by dropping in on set to observe, ends up totaling many times over. —Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 24 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English camew, from Middle French camau, kamaheu

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for cameo

• acknow
• aglow
• ago
• airglow
• aloe
• altho
• although
• ammo
• backflow
• backhoe
• banjo
• barbeau

Kids Definition

cameo

noun

cam·​eo ˈkam-ē-ˌō 

plural cameos

1

: a carved gem in which the design is higher than its background

2

: a small role (as in a movie) performed by a well-known actor