- 1[countable] piece (of something) (used especially with of and uncountable nouns) an amount of something that has been cut or separated from the rest of it; a standard amount of something a piece of string/wood She wrote something on a small piece of paper. a large piece of land a piece of cake/cheese/meat He cut the pizza into bite-sized pieces. I've got a piece of grit in my eye.
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part - 2[countable, usually plural] one of the bits or parts that something breaks into There were tiny pieces of glass all over the road. The boat had been smashed to pieces on the rocks. The vase lay in pieces on the floor.
- 3[countable] one of the parts that something is made of He took the clock to pieces. a missing piece of the puzzle The bridge was taken down piece by piece. a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle see one-piece, two-piece, three-piece single item
- 4[countable] (used especially with of and uncountable nouns) a single item of a particular type, especially one that forms part of a set a piece of clothing/furniture/luggage a piece of equipment/machinery a 28-piece dinner service
- 5[countable] piece of something used with many uncountable nouns to describe a single example or an amount of something a piece of advice/information/news an interesting piece of research Isn't that a piece of luck?
- 6[countable] piece (of something) a single item of writing, art, music, etc. that someone has produced or created a piece of art/music/poetry, etc. They performed pieces by Bach and Handel. (formal) They have some beautiful pieces (= works of art, etc.) in their home. see masterpiece, museum piece, period piece, showpiece news article
- 7[countable] an article in a newspaper or magazine, or a broadcast on television or radio Did you see her piece about the Internet in the paper today? see set piece
- 8[countable] a coin of the value mentioned a five-cent piece in chess, etc.
- 9[countable] one of the small figures or objects that you move around in games such as chess share of something
- 10[singular] piece of something a part or share of something companies seeking a piece of the market gun
- 11[countable] (slang) a gun distance
- 12a piece [singular] (old-fashioned) (informal) a short distance She lives down the road a piece from here. You will find other compounds ending in piece at their place in the alphabet.
- Piece is a very general word and can be used with most uncountable nouns:a piece of paper/wood/string/cake/fruit/meat/work/research/advice
- Bit can be used with abstract uncountable nouns:a bit of luck/confidence/attention
- A slice is a thin, flat piece:a slice of bread/cake/salami/cheese/pie/apple(figurative)a slice of life
- A chunk is a thick, solid piece:a chunk of cheese/bread/rock a chunk of land (= a fairly large piece)
- A lump is a piece of something solid without any particular shape:a lump of coal/clay
- A fragment is a very small piece of something that is broken or damaged:fragments of glass(figurative)fragments of conversation.It can also be used with countable nouns to mean a small part of something:a fragment of the story
- A speck is a tiny piece of powder:a speck of dust/dirtYou can also say:a speck of light
- Drop is used with liquids:a drop of water/rain/blood/milk/whiskey
- A pinch is as much as you can hold between your finger and thumb:a pinch of salt/cinnamon
- A portion is enough for one person:a portion of chicken
- 1(usually used in the progressive tenses) (of things) to become very old and in bad condition because of long use synonym fall apart Our car is falling to pieces, we've had it so long.
- 2(of a person, an organization, a plan, etc.) to stop working; to be destroyed He's worried the business will fall to pieces without him.
- 1all the same or similar The houses are all of a piece.
- 2all at the same time The house was built all of a piece in 1854.
separate amount
small objects or items of various kinds She stuffed all the bits and pieces into a bag and left.
to tell someone that you disapprove of their behavior or are angry with them
(of a person) to be so upset or afraid that you cannot manage to live or work normally After his wife died he just went to pieces.
safe; not damaged or hurt, especially after a journey or dangerous experience They were lucky to get home in one piece.
to criticize someone, or their work or ideas, very severely
to return or to help someone return to a normal situation, particularly after a shock or a disaster You cannot live your children's lives for them; you can only be there to pick up the pieces when things go wrong.
a share or role in an interesting or exciting activity, especially in order to make money Foreign firms will all want a piece of the action if the new airport goes ahead.
a thing that is very easy to do
a share of something such as money, profits, etc.
used to express the fact that you admire someone or find them amusing, often when they have done something that surprises you She's a real piece of work. You're some piece of work, Jack, do you know that?
to say exactly what you feel or think
Check pronunciation: piece