Part of speech: nounseparate amount
1 [C] ~ (of sth) (used especially with of and uncountable nouns) an amount of sth that has been cut or separated from the rest of it; a standard amount of sth:
a piece of string / wood * She wrote something on a small piece of paper. * a large piece of land * a piece of cake / cheese / meat * He cut the pizza into bite-sized pieces. * I've got a piece of grit in my eye.
part
2 [C,usually pl.] one of the bits or parts that sth breaks into:
There were tiny pieces of glass all over the road. * The boat had been smashed to pieces on the rocks. * The vase lay in pieces on the floor.
3 [C] one of the parts that sth is made of:
He took the clock to pieces. * a missing piece of the puzzle * The bridge was taken down piece by piece. * a 500 piece jigsaw
seealsoONE-PIECE, TWO-PIECE, THREE-PIECE
single item
4 [C] (used especially with of and uncountable nouns) a single item of a particular type, especially one that forms part of a set:
a piece of clothing / furniture / luggage * a piece of equipment / machinery * a 28-piece dinner service
5 [C] ~ of sth used with many uncountable nouns to describe a single example or an amount of sth:
a piece of advice / information / news * an interesting piece of research * Isn't that a piece of luck?
6 [C] ~ (of sth) a single item of writing, art, music, etc. that sb has produced or created:
a piece of art / music / poetry * They performed pieces by Bach and Handel. * (formal) They have some beautiful pieces (= works of art, etc.) in their home.
seealsoMASTERPIECE, MUSEUMPIECE, PARTYPIECE, PERIODPIECE, SHOWPIECE
news article
7 [C] an article in a newspaper or magazine or a broadcast on television or radio:
Did you see her piece about the Internet in the paper today?
seealsoSETPIECE
coin
8 [C] a coin of the value mentioned:
a 50p piece * a five-cent piece
in chess, etc.
9 [C] one of the small figures or objects that you move around in games such as CHESS
share of sth
10 [sing.] ~ of sth (especially AmE) a part or share of sth:
companies seeking a piece of the market
gun
11 [C] (AmE, slang) a gun
HELPNOTE You will find other compounds ending in piece at their place in the alphabet.
IDIOMS
fall to pieces
1 (usually used in the progressive tenses) (of things) to become very old and in bad condition because of long use:
Our car is falling to pieces, we've had it so long.
2 (of a person, an organization, a plan, etc.) to stop working; to be destroyed:
He's worried the business will fall to pieces without him.
give sb a piece of your mind (informal) to tell sb that you disapprove of their behaviour or are angry with them
go to pieces (informal) (of a person) to be so upset or afraid that you cannot manage to live or work normally:
After his wife died he just went to pieces.
(all) in one piece (informal) safe; not damaged or hurt, especially after a journey or dangerous experience:
They were lucky to get home in one piece.
(all) of a piece (formal)
1 all the same or similar:
The houses are all of a piece.
2 all at the same time:
The house was built all of a piece in 1754.
pick / pull / tear sb/sth to pieces / shreds (informal) to criticize sb, or their work or ideas, very severely
a piece of cake (informal) a thing that is very easy to do
a piece of piss (BrE, !!!, slang) a thing that is very easy to do
moreatACTION, BIT, LONGadj., NASTY, PICKv., PIE, SAYv., VILLAIN
