# pie

/ˈpaɪ/ (US) · /pˈaɪ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/pie
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. baked food

noun · CEFR A1

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

For teachers: 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.

### 2. pizza

noun · CEFR B1 · American English · Informal

a whole pizza.

For teachers: 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.

### 3. a total resource

noun · CEFR B2

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

For teachers: 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.

### 4. pie chart

noun · CEFR B1

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

For teachers: 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.

### 6. to hit with a pie

verb · CEFR B2 · Informal

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

For teachers: 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.

### 7. to ignore

verb · CEFR C1 · British English · Slang

to ignore someone or stop talking to them.

For teachers: 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.

## Examples

- I baked an apple pie for dessert.
- The local bakery is famous for its savory meat pies and flaky crusts.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.