What does "pie" mean?

1. (baked food) a baked dish with a pastry crust and a filling of fruit, meat, or vegetables. 2. (pizza) a whole pizza. 3. (a total resource) the total amount of something, like money or profit, that can be divided between people. 4. (pie chart) a circle divided into sections to show different amounts of something. 5. (to hit with a pie) to throw a soft pie into someone's face as a joke or a protest. 6. (to ignore) to ignore someone or stop talking to them.

pie — meaning, definition & examples

Word

01baked food

A1 · Beginner Countable noun Cooking

n. a baked dish with a pastry crust and a filling of fruit, meat, or vegetables.

n. a baked dish consisting of a pastry crust and a sweet or savoury filling.

“We had a warm apple pie with vanilla ice cream for dessert.”

“The bakery is famous for its savoury meat pies, which feature a rich gravy and a perfectly flaky puff-pastry lid.”

Synonyms

pastry tart

02pizza

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun American English · Informal

n. a whole pizza.

n. a whole pizza, particularly in specific regional dialects.

“Let's order a large pepperoni pie for the party tonight.”

“In certain parts of the Northeastern United States, it is common to refer to a standard cheese pizza simply as a pie.”

Synonyms

pizza

03a total resource

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun

n. the total amount of something, like money or profit, that can be divided between people.

n. the total amount of a resource or wealth available to be shared or divided.

“The workers wanted a bigger slice of the pie after the company made a profit.”

“Economists often debate whether policies should focus on growing the total pie or ensuring the existing wealth is distributed more equitably.”

Synonyms

total whole

Antonyms

slice portion

04pie chart

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun Mathematics

n. a circle divided into sections to show different amounts of something.

n. a circular statistical graphic, which is divided into slices to illustrate numerical proportion.

“The pie shows that sixty percent of our budget goes toward rent.”

“The presenter used a colourful pie to demonstrate the market share held by each of the major competitors in the industry.”

Synonyms

chart graph

05to hit with a pie

B2 · Upper Intermediate Informal

v. to throw a soft pie into someone's face as a joke or a protest.

v. to strike a person in the face with a cream or custard pie, typically for comedic effect or as a form of political demonstration.

“The comedian got pied in the face during the final scene of the show.”

“The activist attempted to pie the politician during the press conference to draw attention to environmental issues.”

06to ignore

C1 · Advanced British English · Slang

v. to ignore someone or stop talking to them.

v. to ignore, reject, or 'ghost' someone, particularly in a social or romantic context.

“I can't believe he just pied me after our third date.”

“She felt completely humiliated when he pied her in front of all their mutual friends at the party.”

Teaching tip

This is very modern British slang; older speakers or those outside the UK may not understand this usage.

Synonyms

ignore reject ghost

From Middle English pye, pie, pey (“baked dish, filled pastry”), possibly attested earlier (c. 1199) in the surname Piehus (“pie-house?”). Further origin uncertain. Relation to Middle English pie, pye (“magpie”) has been suggested due to correspondences between other similar foods and the names of birds (compare haggis (“Scottish dish”) and haggess (“magpie”); and chewet (“meat pie”) and chewet (“chough, jackdaw”); however, the baked dish may instead be named after a creator with the surname Pie, a common name at the time. The surname is ultimately derived from the bird above, and thus from Old French pie, from Latin pīca (“magpie”). If true, then doublet of speight.

From Middle English pye, from Old French pie, from Latin pīca, feminine of pīcus (“woodpecker”). Cognate with speight. Doublet of pica.

From Hindi पाई (pāī, “low-denomination coin”), from Sanskrit पादिका (pādikā, “foot, shoe”), from पाद (pāda, “foot, base, quarter”) + -इक (-ika, “-ic: forming adjectives”).