piece Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a separate part of a whole
    • an important piece of the evidence
  2. noun an item that is an instance of some type;
    • he designed a new piece of equipment
    • she bought a lovely piece of china
  3. noun a portion of a natural object
    part.
    • they analyzed the river into three parts
    • he needed a piece of granite
  4. noun a musical work that has been created
    piece of music; opus; musical composition; composition.
    • the composition is written in four movements
  5. noun an instance of some kind
    bit.
    • it was a nice piece of work
    • he had a bit of good luck
  6. noun an artistic or literary composition
    • he wrote an interesting piece on Iran
    • the children acted out a comic piece to amuse the guests
  7. noun a portable gun
    small-arm; firearm.
    • he wore his firearm in a shoulder holster
  8. noun a serving that has been cut from a larger portion
    slice.
    • a piece of pie
    • a slice of bread
  9. noun a distance
    • it is down the road a piece
  10. noun a work of art of some artistic value
    objet d'art; art object.
    • this store sells only objets d'art
    • it is not known who created this piece
  11. noun a period of indeterminate length (usually short) marked by some action or condition
    spell; while; patch.
    • he was here for a little while
    • I need to rest for a piece
    • a spell of good weather
    • a patch of bad weather
  12. noun a share of something
    slice.
    • a slice of the company's revenue
  13. noun game equipment consisting of an object used in playing certain board games
    man.
    • he taught me to set up the men on the chess board
    • he sacrificed a piece to get a strategic advantage
  14. verb to join or unite the pieces of
    patch.
    • patch the skirt
  15. verb create by putting components or members together
    tack together; set up; tack; assemble; put together.
    • She pieced a quilt
    • He tacked together some verses
    • They set up a committee
  16. verb join during spinning
    • piece the broken pieces of thread, slivers, and rovings
  17. verb eat intermittently; take small bites of
    nibble; pick.
    • He pieced at the sandwich all morning
    • She never eats a full meal--she just nibbles
  18. verb repair by adding pieces
    patch.
    • She pieced the china cup

WordNet

Piece noun
Etymology
OE. pece, F. pièce, LL. pecia, petia, petium, probably of Celtic origin; cf. W. peth a thing, a part, portion, a little, Armor. pez, Gael. & Ir. cuid part, share. Cf. Petty.
Definitions
  1. A fragment or part of anything separated from the whole, in any manner, as by cutting, splitting, breaking, or tearing; a part; a portion; as, a piece of sugar; to break in pieces.
    Bring it out piece by piece. Ezek. xxiv. 6.
  2. A definite portion or quantity, as of goods or work; as, a piece of broadcloth; a piece of wall paper.
  3. Any one thing conceived of as apart from other things of the same kind; an individual article; a distinct single effort of a series; a definite performance; especially: (a) A literary or artistic composition; as, a piece of poetry, music, or statuary. (b) A musket, gun, or cannon; as, a battery of six pieces; a following piece. (c) A coin; as, a sixpenny piece; -- formerly applied specifically to an English gold coin worth 22 shillings. (d) A fact; an item; as, a piece of news; a piece of knowledge.
  4. An individual; -- applied to a person as being of a certain nature or quality; often, but not always, used slightingly or in contempt. "If I had not been a piece of a logician before I came to him." Sir P. Sidney.
    Thy mother was a piece of virtue. Shak.
    His own spirit is as unsettled a piece as there is in all the world. Coleridge.
  5. (Chess) One of the superior men, distinguished from a pawn.
  6. A castle; a fortified building. Obs. Spenser.
Piece transitive verb
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Pieced ; present participle & verbal noun Piecing
Definitions
  1. To make, enlarge, or repair, by the addition of a piece or pieces; to patch; as, to piece a garment; -- often with out. Shak.
  2. To unite; to join; to combine. Fuller.
    His adversaries . . . pieced themselves together in a joint opposition against him. Fuller.
Piece intransitive verb
Definitions
  1. To unite by a coalescence of parts; to fit together; to join. "It pieced better." Bacon.

Webster 1913