What does "piece" mean?

1. (a part of a whole) a part of something that has been broken, cut, or separated from the rest. 2. (an item in a set) one single item that belongs to a group or a set of things. 3. (art or writing) a single work of art, music, or writing. 4. (game figure) one of the objects you move on a board when playing a game like chess. 5. (a weapon) a gun or a large military weapon. 6. (a snack) a slice of bread or a small sandwich. 7. (to assemble) to put different parts together to make a whole thing.

piece — meaning, definition & examples

Word

01a part of a whole

A1 · Beginner Countable noun

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.

“He cut the birthday cake into eight equal pieces for the guests.”

“The archaeologist carefully brushed the dirt away from a small piece of pottery that appeared to be part of a Roman water jug.”

Synonyms

part bit fragment portion

Antonyms

whole entirety

02an item in a set

A2 · Elementary Countable noun

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.

“I think I lost a piece of my new Lego set under the sofa.”

“The set of fine china was missing a single piece, which significantly reduced its value at the auction.”

Synonyms

item unit component

03art or writing

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun

n. a single work of art, music, or writing.

n. a distinct artistic, musical, or literary composition.

“She wrote a beautiful piece of music for the school concert.”

“The journalist submitted a controversial piece regarding the city's new housing policy for the Sunday edition of the newspaper.”

Synonyms

work composition article

04game figure

A2 · Elementary Countable noun

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.

“He moved his chess piece across the board to protect his king.”

“The antique backgammon set featured hand-carved pieces made from polished stone and ivory.”

Synonyms

token counter figure

05a weapon

C1 · Advanced Countable noun Military Informal · American English

n. a gun or a large military weapon.

n. a firearm or an individual artillery gun.

“The police officer noticed the suspect was carrying a piece in his waistband.”

“The battery consisted of four heavy artillery pieces positioned strategically along the ridge to overlook the valley.”

Synonyms

gun firearm cannon

06a snack

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Dialect · British English

n. a slice of bread or a small sandwich.

n. a slice of bread or a light snack, often a sandwich.

“The children came inside for a piece and a glass of milk after playing.”

“In some regions, a 'piece' refers specifically to a jam sandwich taken as a midday snack.”

Synonyms

snack sandwich

07to assemble

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'.

“The detective tried to piece together what happened on the night of the crime.”

“It took the historians several years to piece together the fragmented records of the lost colony.”

Usage

Usually used as the phrasal verb 'piece together'.

Synonyms

assemble join unite

Antonyms

dismantle separate

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “piece” in context.

01. important piece

“Among the more than 80 objects on display at an exhibition that opened last week is an astonishingly lifelike piece of a pharaoh’s face, with pouting, almost kissable lips.”

The Guardian 29 Sept 2026

“Most of the candy shells are the trademark Reese’s orange, with some yellow and brown mixed in. The pieces are larger and rounder than the original oblate-spheroid candy.”

theimpulsivebuy.com 2 Sept 2026

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.

bit broken chunk modicum Parcel Peace