English Reference
Adverb

apiece

adv. degree
C1 Advanced US /əˈpis/ UK /ɐpˈiːs/ apiece

adv.for each person or thing in a group. You use this after a number to show the price or amount for every single item.

adv.to or for each individual person or item in a set. Typically follows the numeral or noun phrase it modifies.


SIMPLE

The tickets cost twenty dollars apiece.

CONTEXTUAL

The two companies were fined five million dollars apiece for their roles in the price-fixing scandal.

COMPLEX

The antique chairs were sold for three hundred pounds apiece, a price that reflected their excellent condition and historical significance.

Usage

Always follows the noun or number it refers to; it cannot be used at the start of a sentence.

Pitfall
They cost apiece ten dollarsThey cost ten dollars apiece

Apiece must follow the quantity or price it modifies, rather than preceding it.

England seamers Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue came up with a solution after they snared five apiece on the opening day of the first Test against Pakistan.

BBC News· 19 Aug 2026

Ipswich won six points from the leading seven sides in 2024-25, though Leicester and Southampton took one apiece.

The Guardian· 19 Aug 2026

From Middle English a pece. By surface analysis, univerbation of a + piece.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Middle English a pece
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Frequent
Updated