piece

Universal Words noun, verb noun separate 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 verb PHRASALVERBS piece sth<->together 1 to understand a story, situation, etc. by taking all the facts and details about it and putting them together: Police are trying to piece together the last hours of her life. * The account of their journey has been pieced together from personal letters and diaries. 2 to put all the separate parts of sth together to make a complete whole: to piece together a jigsaw * She tried to piece together the cheque which he had just torn up. ______________________________ VOCABULARYBUILDING pieces If you want to talk about a small amount or one example of something that is normally an uncountable noun, there is a range of words you can use. You must choose the right one to go with the substance you are talking about. Piece and (BrE, informal) bit are very general words and can be used with most uncountable nouns: a piece of paper / wood / string / cake / fruit / meat / work / research / advice * a bit of paper / work / chocolate / luck. A slice is a thin flat piece: a slice of bread / cake / salami / cheese / pie /apple * (figurative) a slice of life. A chunk is a thick, solid piece: a chunk of cheese / bread / rock * a chunk of land (= a fairly large piece). A lump is a piece of something solid without any particular shape: a lump of coal / rock / mud. A fragment is a very small piece of something that is broken or damaged: fragments of glass * (figurative) fragments of conversation. It can also be used with countable nouns to mean a small part of something: a fragment of the story. A speck is a tiny piece of powder: a speck of dust / dirt. You can also say: a speck of light. Drop is used with liquids: a drop of water / rain / blood / milk / whisky. A pinch is as much as you can hold between your finger and thumb: a pinch of salt / cinnamon. A portion is enough for one person: a portion of chicken / fish and chips. It can also be used with some countable nouns to mean a part of something. ______________________________