Piece Piːs Small Bits Single I Large Land

• 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

piece

1. 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.
• a piece of paper/wood/string/cake/fruit/meat/work/research/advice
• a bit of paper/work/chocolate/luck.
• a slice of bread/cake/salami/cheese/pie/apple
• a slice of life
• a chunk of cheese/bread/rock
• a chunk of land (= a fairly large piece)
• a lump of coal/rock/mud
• fragments of glass
• fragments of conversation.
• a fragment of the story.
• a speck of dust/dirt.
• a speck of light
• a drop of water/rain/blood/milk/whisky
• a pinch of salt/cinnamon
• a portion of chicken
2. 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. one of the parts that something is made of
• see also one-piece
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/one-piece
• He took the clock to pieces.
• a missing piece of the puzzle
• The bridge was taken down piece by piece.
• a 500-piece jigsaw
4. 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. 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. a single item of writing, art, music, etc. that somebody has produced or created
• see also hit piece
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/hit-piece
• a piece of art/music/poetry, etc.
• They performed pieces by Bach and Handel.
• They have some beautiful pieces (= works of art, etc.) in their home.
7. an article in a newspaper or magazine or a broadcast on television or radio
• see also set piece
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/set-piece
• Did you see her piece about the Internet in the paper today?
8. a coin of the value mentioned
• a 50p piece
• a five-cent piece
9. one of the small figures or objects that you move around in games such as chess
10. a part or share of something
• companies seeking a piece of the market
11. a gun
12. a short distance
• She lives down the road a piece from here.
13. used to express the fact that you admire somebody or find them amusing, often when they have done something that surprises you
• You're some piece of work, Jack, do you know that?
14. small objects or items of various kinds
• She stuffed all her bits and pieces into a bag and left.
15. to become very old and in bad condition because of long use
• synonym fall apart
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/fall-apart
• Our car is falling to pieces, we've had it so long.
16. to stop working; to be destroyed
• He's worried the business will fall to pieces without him.
17. to tell somebody that you disapprove of their behaviour or are angry with them
• See related entries: Anger
  https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/topic/anger/piece_1
18. to be so upset or afraid that you cannot manage to live or work normally
• After his wife died he just went to pieces.
19. used to say that there is no definite answer to a question
• ‘How long will it take?’ ‘How long's a piece of string?’
20. safe; not damaged or hurt, especially after a journey or dangerous experience
• They were lucky to get home in one piece.
21. a person who is unpleasant, unkind or dishonest
• Don’t trust him; he’s a nasty piece of work.
22. all the same or similar
• The houses are all of a piece.
23. all at the same time
• The house was built all of a piece in 1754.
24. to criticize somebody, or their work or ideas, very severely
25. to return or to help somebody 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.
26. a thing that is very easy to do
27. a thing that is very easy to do
28. 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.
29. a share of something such as money, profits, etc.
30. to say exactly what you feel or think
31. the person or thing that is responsible for all the trouble in a situation
• It’s hard to identify the real villain of the piece in this case.

Extra Examples

• A few pieces of the puzzle were missing.
• Can I take this jigsaw to pieces?
• He hasn’t produced a single piece of writing this year.
• I had to take the car to pieces in order to repair it.
• I just need to get a few bits and pieces at the supermarket.
• My old dictionary is falling to pieces.
• She makes her sculptures out of odd pieces of scrap metal.
• She read a piece from ‘Alice in Wonderland’.
• She tore the letter into tiny pieces.
• The album is made up of bits and pieces from previous albums.
• The best pieces include three paintings by El Greco.
• The book breaks the information into bite-sized pieces.
• The cake just broke into pieces when I cut it.
• The plate smashed into little pieces on the stone floor.
• The vase was now in pieces on the kitchen floor.
• They are exhibiting two important pieces by Calder.
• This chair comes to pieces.
• This is an effective piece of writing.
• We’ll need to take the engine apart, piece by piece.
• a companion piece to the portrait of Gauguin’s empty chair
• a piece for symphony orchestra, choir and four soloists
• a piece of bread
• a short piece by Will Simons on television satire
• an occasional piece on the lives of ordinary people
• an original piece written specifically for the producer
• Auditioning students are required to play a solo piece of their choice.
• He broke the clock down into pieces.
• He took the clock to pieces.
• I’ve got a piece of grit in my eye.
• It was an interesting piece of research.
• She’s been doing a 500-piece jigsaw.
• The bridge was taken down piece by piece.
• The documentary was in fact a heavily biased hit piece.
• The magazine ran a puff piece on him last week.
• The orchestra performed pieces by Ravel and Prokofiev.
• There had to be some missing piece of the story.
• They have some beautiful pieces in their home.
• You should have at least two good portions of vegetables and two pieces of fruit a day.

Word Origin

• Middle English: from Old French piece (compare with medieval Latin pecia, petium), of obscure ultimate origin.