piece
piece — verb
1. to make one complete thing by bringing separate parts together, or by building a
to make one complete thing by bringing separate parts together, or by building a whole picture from different bits of information.
Omar pieced the map together on the kitchen floor.
piece + object + together
From old letters, the family pieced their history together slowly.
By midnight, detectives pieced the train story together from phone calls.
piece + object + together + from + clues
In art class, Mei pieced a paper dragon from red cards.
By spring, the wall picture was pieced together from postcards and bus tickets.
passive: be pieced together from parts
- piece a map together
- piece a story together
- piece a vase together
- piece a picture from clues
- assemble
common for putting parts together in a planned way
- put together
the everyday phrase for combining separate parts
- reconstruct
often used for rebuilding an event or object from evidence
- separate
moves the parts away from each other
- take apart
means to break the whole back into pieces
Grammar Patterns
piece + object + together
piece + object + from + parts
piece + object + together + from + clues
Usage Note
This sense very often appears with 'together', especially for stories, plans, and broken objects. A 'from' phrase often names the parts, signs, or clues. Distinguish from sense 2: sense 1 focuses on combining parts into a whole, not mending one damaged area.
Common Mistakes
2. to fix or finish something by putting extra bits onto the part that is broken or
to fix or finish something by putting extra bits onto the part that is broken or missing.
Grandma pieced the torn quilt with cloth from an old skirt.
piece + object + with + material
At the garage, Amir pieced the cracked mirror with clear tape.
After the storm, the fence was pieced with spare boards and wire.
passive repair pattern
Lila pieced her school costume with silver paper and blue thread.
Before sunset, the guide pieced the broken kite with two thin sticks.
- piece a quilt with cloth
- piece a fence with boards
- piece a costume with paper
- piece a kite with sticks
Grammar Patterns
piece + object + with + material
Usage Note
Object is usually a damaged thing such as cloth, a fence, or a toy. English often names the added material with 'with'. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 2 repairs one existing thing, while sense 1 combines separate parts into a whole.
Common Mistakes
piece — noun
1. one section, amount, or share taken from something larger.
one section, amount, or share taken from something larger.
Lena found a blue piece of glass near the river.
piece of + material noun
Dad cut me another piece of cake after dinner.
One piece of the toy train was missing from the box.
Each child got a small piece of the prize money.
piece of + shared amount
- piece of cake
- piece of glass
- piece of land
- piece of the prize money
- whole
the complete thing, not one section of it
Grammar Patterns
a piece of + noun
Usage Note
Often used in piece of + noun for food, material, broken parts, or a share of money or land.
Common Mistakes
2. one whole object counted as a unit in a group of similar things.
one whole object counted as a unit in a group of similar things.
The movers carried each heavy piece of furniture downstairs.
counting uncountable nouns with piece of
Our school bought three new pieces of lab equipment.
At the airport, Rosa checked one piece of luggage.
The box held one extra piece of camping gear.
piece of + gear/equipment
- piece of furniture
- piece of equipment
- piece of luggage
- piece of gear
Grammar Patterns
a piece of + furniture/equipment/luggage
Usage Note
Common with nouns that are often uncountable, such as furniture, equipment, luggage, or gear. Distinguish from sense 1, which is about a part of something larger, and sense 5, which is about one member of a set.
Common Mistakes
3. one garment, often talked about as a stylish, special, or carefully made choice.
one garment, often talked about as a stylish, special, or carefully made choice.
Nina bought one bright silk piece for the summer show.
fashion use with material adjective
The designer sent two black pieces down the runway.
Her best piece was a white coat with gold buttons.
At Paris Fashion Week, buyers praised the new wool pieces after the show.
fashion buyers + pieces
- silk piece
- black leather pieces
- tailored wool pieces
Grammar Patterns
adjective/material + piece
Usage Note
Mainly used in fashion talk and clothing sales. It often appears with words for color, cloth, or style before the noun.
4. a complete work of music, writing, art, or media made as one item.
a complete work of music, writing, art, or media made as one item.
The choir ended with a quiet piece by a young composer.
piece by + creator
Mina wrote a short piece for the school newspaper.
piece for + publication
The gallery showed one new piece near the front door.
His funniest radio piece was about bus drivers in Taipei.
- piece by a composer
- write a piece
- show a piece
- work
the broad everyday word for something created
- composition
used especially for music or carefully written work
- article
fits journalistic writing better than music or art
Grammar Patterns
a piece by + creator
a piece for + newspaper/show
Usage Note
Common for music, articles, poems, artworks, and broadcasts. Distinguish from sense 2, which names a physical object or counted unit rather than created content.
5. one item that belongs to a matching set or collection.
one item that belongs to a matching set or collection.
Only one piece from the chess set was under the sofa.
piece from + set
Marta dropped a puzzle piece beside the kitchen table.
The toy came with six pieces, but Leo lost one.
[number] pieces in a set
The tea set has one missing piece after the move.
- chess piece
- puzzle piece
- missing piece
- tea set piece
- set
the full group rather than one member of it
Grammar Patterns
piece from + set
[number] pieces
Usage Note
Usually refers to one member of things that are meant to stay together, such as a chess set, puzzle, toy set, or tea set. Distinguish from sense 2, where the item does not need to belong to a set.
6. a coin worth the amount named with it.
a coin worth the amount named with it.
Grandpa gave each child a shiny ten-cent piece at lunch.
value + piece for a coin
The washer needs one one-euro piece for each load.
The jar held several twenty-yen pieces from Japan.
Please bring a two-dollar piece for the station locker.
coin named by its value
- ten-cent piece
- one-euro piece
- two-dollar piece
- coin
the general word; it does not itself state the value
Grammar Patterns
number/value + piece
Usage Note
Used after the value of a coin, especially when the value itself identifies the coin.
7. a gun, especially one a person can carry and use with one hand
a gun, especially one a person can carry and use with one hand
Police found a loaded piece under the driver's seat.
loaded piece
In the film, Rosa pulls a piece from her desk drawer.
pull a piece
The guard kept his piece hidden inside his long coat.
During the search, police took the piece from Malik's bag.
- loaded piece
- carry a piece
- pull a piece
- hide a piece
Usage Note
Usually refers to a smaller gun a person carries, not a long weapon such as a rifle. Common in crime stories and speech about weapons.
Common Mistakes
8. a sandwich, often a simple one made for a quick meal
a sandwich, often a simple one made for a quick meal
Dad slipped a cheese piece into Eva's bag before the train ride.
food word + piece
At lunch, Ben bought a ham piece and milk from the cafe.
Before school, Nora made the children jam pieces for the picnic.
jam piece
On the hike, we shared one tuna piece by the river.
- ham piece
- jam piece
- cheese piece
- make a piece
Usage Note
Often follows a food word, as in 'ham piece' or 'jam piece'. Distinguish from sense 1, where 'piece' means only a part of something, not a whole meal.
9. a small object that a player moves on a board in a game such as chess
a small object that a player moves on a board in a game such as chess
Lina moved her last piece across the chessboard and won.
chess piece
One blue piece was missing from the box of checkers.
A game piece rolled under the sofa during family game night.
game piece
Each player starts with four pieces on the wooden board.
- chess piece
- game piece
- move a piece
- lose a piece
Usage Note
Often follows the name of the game, especially in phrases such as 'chess piece'. Unlike sense 2, this object is one players move by game rules.
Common Mistakes
bits and pieces/bobs
idiomVarious small items or objects of different types.
Maya packed her bits and pieces into a small suitcase.
I need to buy a few bits and bobs at the store.
To completely destroy someone or something using explosives or weapons.
The bomb blew the old bridge to pieces.
The army blew the enemy tank to bits.
fall to pieces
idiomTo become very worn or broken because of age or heavy use.
After years of use, my backpack fell to pieces.
The old barn is falling to pieces in the storm.
To angrily tell someone that you disapprove of their behavior.
Sara gave the rude driver a piece of her mind.
If he lies again, I will give him a piece of my mind.
go to pieces
idiomTo become so upset or stressed that you cannot function normally.
After losing her job, Lisa went to pieces.
He went to pieces when his dog died.
Used to indicate that a question has no definite answer.
"How long will the repair take?" "How long is a piece of string?"
When asked about the wait time, she replied, "How long is a piece of string?"
(all) in one piece
idiomSafe and not damaged or injured, especially after a dangerous event.
The hikers returned from the storm in one piece.
Did the package arrive all in one piece?
An unpleasant, unkind, or dishonest person.
That new manager is a nasty piece of work.
Don't trust him; he's a nasty piece of work.
(all) of a piece
idiomAll the same or very similar in nature or style.
The houses on this street are all of a piece.
Her paintings are all of a piece with her sculptures.
To criticize someone or something very harshly.
The critics tore the movie to pieces.
She pulled his argument to shreds during the debate.
pick up the pieces
idiomTo return to a normal state after a disaster or shock.
After the flood, the community picked up the pieces.
She helped her friend pick up the pieces after the divorce.
a piece of cake
idiomSomething that is very easy to do.
The math test was a piece of cake for Diego.
Learning to ride a bike was a piece of cake for Maya.
A share of the money or benefits from something.
Each partner wants a slice of the pie from the new venture.
Small businesses struggle to get a piece of the pie.
a/some piece of work
idiomUsed to describe someone who is impressive, amusing, or surprising.
You're some piece of work, finishing that project alone.
That artist is a real piece of work with her unique style.
A share or role in an exciting or profitable activity.
Many investors want a piece of the action in the tech startup.
Local businesses hope for a slice of the action from the festival.
say your piece
idiomTo express your opinion or feelings about something.
At the meeting, each member said their piece.
She said her piece and then left the room.
The person or thing responsible for causing trouble in a situation.
In this scandal, the villain of the piece was the accountant.
The faulty brake was the villain of the piece in the accident.
a piece of piss
idiomSomething that is extremely easy to do.
Maya said the math test was a piece of piss.
Is fixing this old bike a piece of piss for you?
piece — suffix
1. added after a number to show that something has that many separate parts or memb
added after a number to show that something has that many separate parts or members.
The store sold a six-piece cookie box for the class trip.
number-piece + noun
For dinner, we shared a 12-piece chicken meal by the river.
The school jazz band is a five-piece with one singer and four players.
be a number-piece for group size
At the sale, Maya bought a two-piece swimsuit in green.
Each child received a three-piece art set with safe scissors.
- a two-piece swimsuit
- a three-piece set
- a five-piece band
- a 12-piece meal
- -part
close in meaning for things divided into sections, but less natural for clothes, meals, or bands
- containing
a full word used to explain the idea, not the fixed compound form
- made up of
a clause pattern rather than a short modifier before a noun
Grammar Patterns
number-piece + noun
be a number-piece
Usage Note
Usually follows a number to make a compound before a noun, as in 'a three-piece set'. With bands or groups, it can also appear after a linking verb, as in 'the band is a four-piece'.
Common Mistakes
Word family
- piecemealadjectiveC2
- piecemealadverbC2
- masterpiecenounC1
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
For noun sense 1, piece is a flexible everyday word for one separated amount or one broken-off part of something larger. Part is broader and can be physical or abstract, so you can say part of the city or part of the plan. Bit is more informal and usually suggests something small. Portion is especially common for food, money, or another share divided out to people. Section often means a clearly marked area inside a larger object, place, or text. So you ask for a piece of cake, give each child a portion of the prize money, read one section of a report, and describe Tainan as part of Taiwan. Use piece when the idea of one separate unit matters most.
Common collocations
Phrases
- in pieces
- piece by piece
Prepositions
- piece of
Etymology
English piece came through Anglo-French into Middle English, from a late Latin form often reconstructed as *pettia. From early on, the word referred to a separate part cut off from something larger, which still matches its main modern uses. Dictionaries also connect the older form with a Celtic source and compare Welsh peth, meaning 'thing'.