Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense pieces, present participle piecing, past tense, past participle pieced
1. countable noun
A piece of something is an amount of it that has been broken off, torn off, or cut off.
...a piece of cake. [+ of]
...a piece of wood.
...a few words scrawled on a piece of paper. [+ of]
Cut the ham into pieces.
Do you want another piece?
Synonyms: bit, section, slice, part More Synonyms of piece
2. countable noun
A piece of an object is one of the individual parts or sections which it is made of, especially a part that can be removed.
...assembling objects out of standard pieces.
The equipment was taken down the shaft in pieces.
Synonyms: component, part, section, bit More Synonyms of piece
3. countable noun
A piece of land is an area of land.
People struggle to get the best piece of land. [+ of]
Synonyms: stretch, area, spread, tract More Synonyms of piece
4. countable noun
You can use piece of with many uncount nouns to refer to an individual thing of a particular kind. For example, you can refer to some advice as a piece of advice.
When I produced this piece of work, my lecturers were very critical. [+ of]
It is a highly complex piece of legislation.
...an interesting piece of information. [+ of]
...a sensitive piece of equipment used to detect radiation.
...a sturdy piece of furniture. [+ of]
What essential piece of clothing would you take?
Synonyms: instance, case, example, sample More Synonyms of piece
5. countable noun
You can refer to an article in a newspaper or magazine, some music written by someone, a broadcast, or a play as a piece.
I disagreed with Andrew Russell over his piece on British Rail. [+ on]
...a vaguely familiar orchestral piece.
The day after his death there was a piece about him on television.
Synonyms: item, report, story, bit [informal] More Synonyms of piece
6. countable noun
You can refer to a work of art as a piece.
[formal]
Each piece is unique, an exquisite painting of a real person, done on ivory.
None of the pieces is insured.
7. countable noun
You can refer to specific coins as pieces. For example, a 10p piece is a coin that is worth 10p.
8. countable noun
The pieces which you use when you play a board game such as chess are the specially made objects which you move around on the board.
9. quantifier
A piece of something is part of it or a share of it.
[US]
They got a small piece of the net profits and a screen credit. [+ of]
In the bidding frenzy, everyone wanted a piece of the company.
10. See also museum piece, party piece, set piece
11.
See to give someone a piece of your mind
12.
See all of a piece/of a piece
13.
See in one piece
14.
See say one's piece
15.
See to pieces
16.
See go to pieces
17.
See to tear someone to pieces
18.
See a nasty piece of work
19. a piece of the action
20. bits and pieces
21. a piece of cake
22. pick up the pieces
Phrasal verbs:
See piece together
More Synonyms of piece
-piece
(-piːs)
combining form [ADJECTIVE noun]
-piece combines with numbers to form adjectives indicating that something consists of a particular number of items.
...his well-cut three-piece suit.
...a hundred-piece dinner service.
...a four-piece band from Belgium.
piece in British English
(piːs)
noun
1.
an amount or portion forming a separate mass or structure; bit
a piece of wood
2.
a small part, item, or amount forming part of a whole, esp when broken off or separated
a piece of bread
3.
a length by which a commodity is sold, esp cloth, wallpaper, etc
4.
an instance or occurrence
a piece of luck
5. offensive, slang
a girl or woman regarded as an object of sexual attraction
a nice piece
6.
an example or specimen of a style or type, such as an article of furniture
a beautiful piece of Dresden china
7. informal
an opinion or point of view
to state one's piece
8.
a literary, musical, or artistic composition
9.
a coin having a value as specified
fifty-pence piece
10.
a small object, often individually shaped and designed, used in playing certain games,esp board games
chess pieces
11.
a.
a firearm or cannon
b.
(in combination)
fowling-piece
12.
any chessman other than a pawn
13. US and Canadian
a short time or distance
down the road a piece
14. Scottish and English dialect
a.
a slice of bread or a sandwich
b.
a packed lunch taken to work, school, etc
15. (usually plural) Australian and New Zealand
fragments of fleece wool
See also oddment (sense 2)
16. give someone a piece of one's mind
17. go to pieces
18. nasty piece of work
19. of a piece
20. piece of cake
verb(transitive)
21. (often foll by together)
to fit or assemble piece by piece
22. (often foll by up)
to patch or make up (a garment) by adding pieces
23. textiles
to join (broken threads) during spinning
Word origin
C13 pece, from Old French, of Gaulish origin; compare Breton pez piece, Welsh peth portion
piece in American English
(pis)
noun
1.
a part or fragment broken or separated from the whole
2.
a section, division, or quantity regarded as complete in itself and distinct from the whole of which it is a part
3.
any single thing, amount, specimen, example, etc.
; specif.,
a.
an artistic work or composition, as of music, writing, painting, drama, etc.
b.
an article in a magazine, newspaper, etc.
c.
an action or its result
a piece of nonsense, business, etc.
d.
a small firearm, as a pistol or rifle
e.
a coin or token
a fifty-cent piece
f.
one of a set or class, as of silver, china, furniture, etc.
g.
a counter or man, as used in various games; specif., in chess, a chessman other than a pawn
4.
the quantity or size, as of cloth or wallpaper, that is manufactured as a unit
5.
an amount or unit of work constituting a single job
6. Chiefly Dialectal
an indefinite distance or duration; often, specif., a rather short one
7. Chiefly Dialectal
a person; individual
8. US, Slang
a financial interest; share
9. Slang
a.
a woman regarded as a sexual partner
b.
an instance of sexual intercourse
; often regarded as vulgar also ; Slang piece of ass
verb transitiveWord forms: pieced or ˈpiecing
10.
to add a piece or pieces to, as in repairing or enlarging
to piece a pair of trousers
11.
to join or unite
verb intransitive
12. Informal, Dialectal
to eat a snack between meals
SIMILAR WORDS: part
Idioms:
go to pieces
of a piece
piece together
speak one's piece
Derived forms
piecer (ˈpiecer)
noun
Word origin
ME pece < OFr < ML *pettia < Celt *pett- > Welsh peth, part, Bret pez, piece
More idioms containing
piece
all of a piece
a piece of cake
say your piece
the villain of the piece
a nasty piece of work
a piece of work
give someone a piece of your mind
Examples of 'piece' in a sentence
piece
These examples have been automatically selected and may contain sensitive content.Read more…
If the piece is being sold by a lot of sellers all claiming the same thing.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The alternative is to buy a piece of land to build something.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Is the person of the artist always present in a piece of art?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Everything rides on this piece of equipment.
Smithsonian Mag (2017)
An early piece of legal work led to an important victory in court.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
What was the impulse behind putting the two pieces together?
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The proportion of international workers in a company is one of the pieces of information that companies may be asked to provide.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
Pieces are fitted together, all is not as it seems, danger lurks in unexpected places.
The Sun (2016)
What a beautiful and contradictory piece of advice.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The battery is the most important and expensive piece of equipment used in the process.
Christianity Today (2000)
So was my brother a piece of art?
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Then two pieces that fit together on the back and front of your chest.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Understanding individual pieces of information does not insure memory of the pieces.
Pressley, Michael & McCormick, Christine Advanced Educational Psychology For Educators, Researchers and Policymakers, (1995)
On a table beneath the open window was a gramophone playing a piece of music.
John Cornwell Seminary Boy (2006)
Tape the two pieces together and leave overnight.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Why would the former choose to write his piece mostly in the first person?
Goshgarian, Gary Exploring language (6th edn) (1995)
It is a vital piece of equipment.
The Sun (2008)
Tear the soft parts into small pieces and place in a large bowl.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
We hope historians will go and piece something together.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
What very small fine pieces it has cooked into!
Beatrix Potter The Tales of Beatrix Potter (1930)
All bits and pieces were kept in place.
The Sun (2012)
What was the best piece of advice you received?
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
You have got to know how to move your pieces around the board.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
We are witness to a beautiful and absorbing piece of theatre.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
Who would have thought that a piece of land would cause me such a headache?
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Other mail art pieces are more topical.
The Times Literary Supplement (2014)
Picture frames get a new lease of life when fitted with a piece of mirrored glass.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Like the first try it was a typical piece of individual brilliance.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
Listen to a relaxation tape or play a favourite piece of music.
Westcott, Patsy Alternative Health Care for Women (1991)
Individual pieces could sell for in excess of 125,000.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
They hear one piece of music - maybe on an advert or the radio - and they go off in another direction.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
In other languages
piece
British English: piece /piːs/ NOUN
A piece of something is a portion, part, or section of it that has been removed, broken off, or cut off.
...a piece of paper.
American English: piece
Arabic: قِطْعَة
Brazilian Portuguese: pedaço
Chinese: 块
Croatian: komad
Czech: kus
Danish: stykke
Dutch: stukje
European Spanish: pedazo
Finnish: pala
French: morceau
German: Stück
Greek: κομμάτι
Italian: pezzo
Japanese: 一つ
Korean: 한 조각
Norwegian: stykke
Polish: kawałek
European Portuguese: pedaço
Romanian: bucată
Russian: кусок
Latin American Spanish: pedazo
Swedish: bit avsnitt
Thai: ชิ้นส่วน
Turkish: parça
Ukrainian: шматок
Vietnamese: miếng
Translate your text for free
All related terms of 'piece'
T-piece
a strut or part shaped like a T
one-piece
A one-piece article of clothing consists of one piece only, rather than two or more separate parts.
piece out
to extend by adding pieces
set piece
A set piece is an occasion such as a battle or a move in a game of football that is planned and carried out in an ordered way.
tee-piece
a strut or part shaped like a T
toe-piece
the forward part of the device fixed to a ski to grip a ski boot , for either water skiing or snow skiing
two-piece
You can use two-piece to describe something, especially a set of clothing, that is in two parts.
cane piece
(in the Caribbean ) a field of sugar cane , esp a peasant's isolated field
hand-piece
handheld, power-operated shears used by a shearer
major piece
a queen or rook
minor piece
a bishop or knight
party piece
Someone's party piece is something that they often do to entertain people, especially at parties, for example singing a particular song or saying a particular poem .
piano piece
a piece of music played on the piano
piece-dyed
(of fabric ) dyed after weaving
piece goods
goods, esp fabrics , made in standard widths and lengths
piece rate
a fixed rate paid according to the quantity produced
pole piece
a piece of ferromagnetic material forming an extension of the magnetic circuit in an electric motor , etc, used to concentrate the magnetic field where it will be most effective
puff piece
a flattering newspaper or magazine article about a person or an organization
ridge piece
a timber laid along the ridge of a roof , to which the upper ends of the rafters are attached
test piece
a piece of music played in an exam in order to test the abilities of the player
think piece
A think piece is an article in a newspaper or magazine that discusses a particular subject in a serious and thoughtful way .
three-piece
A three-piece suit is a set of three pieces of matching clothing , usually a man's jacket , waistcoat , and trousers .
chimney piece
→ mantelpiece
costume piece
any theatrical production , film, television presentation , etc, in which the performers wear the costumes of a former age
fowling piece
a gun , esp a shotgun , for shooting wild birds
museum piece
If you describe an object or building as a museum piece , you mean that it is old and unusual .
of a piece
of the same kind; alike
period piece
A period piece is a play, book , or film that is set at a particular time in history and describes life at that time.
character piece
a short, simple piece, usually for piano , of a type developed chiefly during the 19th century, often of a descriptive or seemingly improvisatory character
companion piece
a subsidiary object, esp a work of art or piece of writing, that accompanies another
ensemble piece
a play involving no individual star but several actors whose roles are of equal importance
in one piece
If someone or something is still in one piece after a dangerous journey or experience , they are safe and not damaged or hurt .
piece together
If you piece together the truth about something, you gradually discover it.
straining piece
a horizontal tie beam that connects the top of two queen posts of a roof truss
twopenny piece
a two pence coin
conversation piece
something, esp an unusual object, that provokes conversation
piece of cake
something easily obtained or achieved
piece of eight
a former Spanish coin worth eight reals ; peso
piece of piss
something easily obtained of achieved
piece of work
a person who is regarded as eccentric , difficult , etc.
say your piece
to give your opinion about a particular matter, although you are aware that other people may not agree with you, or be interested in what you have to say
all of a piece
with each part or aspect consistent with the rest
a piece of cake
If you think something is very easy to do, you can say it is a piece of cake . People often say this to stop someone feeling worried about doing something they have to do.
a piece of goods
a person
a piece of work
a very surprising , unusual , or impressive person
piece to camera
a TV report in which a reporter is filmed saying something
say one's piece
If you say your piece , you say everything you want to say about a particular matter without being interrupted , although people may be wanting to express opposing views .
speak one's piece
to vent one's views or opinions
three-piece suit
a suit consisting of three matching parts, such as a jacket , waistcoat , and trousers
three-piece suite
a set of three matching pieces of furniture , usually a combination of a sofa and chairs