piece
- 01 A1 Beginner
n.a part of something that has been broken, cut, or separated from the rest.
n.a portion or fragment of a larger entity, typically separated or intended to be separate.
Simple“He cut the birthday cake into eight equal pieces for the guests.”
In context“The archaeologist carefully brushed the dirt away from a small piece of pottery that appeared to be part of a Roman water jug.”
- 02 A2 Elementary
n.one single item that belongs to a group or a set of things.
n.an individual unit belonging to a class of similar items or forming part of a collection.
Simple“I think I lost a piece of my new Lego set under the sofa.”
In context“The set of fine china was missing a single piece, which significantly reduced its value at the auction.”
- 03 B1 Intermediate
n.a single work of art, music, or writing.
n.a distinct artistic, musical, or literary composition.
Simple“She wrote a beautiful piece of music for the school concert.”
In context“The journalist submitted a controversial piece regarding the city's new housing policy for the Sunday edition of the newspaper.”
Synonyms - 04 A2 Elementary
n.one of the objects you move on a board when playing a game like chess.
n.a figure or token used to represent a player or a specific role in a board game.
Simple“He moved his chess piece across the board to protect his king.”
In context“The antique backgammon set featured hand-carved pieces made from polished stone and ivory.”
- 05 C1 Advanced
n.a gun or a large military weapon.
n.a firearm or an individual artillery gun.
Simple“The police officer noticed the suspect was carrying a piece in his waistband.”
In context“The battery consisted of four heavy artillery pieces positioned strategically along the ridge to overlook the valley.”
- 06 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a slice of bread or a small sandwich.
n.a slice of bread or a light snack, often a sandwich.
Simple“The children came inside for a piece and a glass of milk after playing.”
In context“In some regions, a 'piece' refers specifically to a jam sandwich taken as a midday snack.”
- 07 B1 Intermediate
v.to put different parts together to make a whole thing.
v.to assemble or join various components together, often used figuratively with 'together'.
Simple“The detective tried to piece together what happened on the night of the crime.”
In context“It took the historians several years to piece together the fragmented records of the lost colony.”
UsageUsually used as the phrasal verb 'piece together'.
Usage piece together · pieces of evidence · piece of legislation
From Middle English pece, peece, peice, from Old French piece, from Late Latin petia, pettia, possibly from Gaulish pettyā, from Proto-Celtic kʷezdis (“piece, portion, quota”). Compare Welsh peth, Breton pez (“thing”), Irish cuid. Compare French pièce, Portuguese peça, Spanish pieza, Italian pezza, Italian pezzo.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.