piece.
A part of a larger whole, usually in such a form that it is able to be separated from other parts.
Meaning & usage
A part of a larger whole, usually in such a form that it is able to be separated from other parts.
I’d like another piece of pie.
I've lost a piece of this jigsaw puzzle.
A single item belonging to a class of similar items.
a piece of machinery
a piece of software
One of the figures used in playing chess, specifically a higher-value figure as distinguished from a pawn; (by extension) those with which draughts, backgammon, and other similar board games are played.
A coin, especially one valued at less than the principal unit of currency.
a sixpenny piece
An artistic creation, such as a painting, sculpture, musical composition, literary work, etc.
period piece
She played two beautiful pieces on the piano.
An article published in the press.
Today's paper has an interesting piece on medical research.
An artillery gun.
A gun.
He's packin' a piece!
A toupee or wig, especially when worn by a man.
The announcer is wearing a new piece.
A slice or other quantity of bread, eaten on its own; a sandwich or light snack.
A sexual encounter; from piece of ass or piece of tail.
I got a piece at lunchtime.
A shoddy or worthless object (usually applied to consumer products like vehicles or appliances).
Ugh, my new computer is such a piece. I'm taking it back to the store tomorrow.
A cannabis pipe.
Used to describe a pitch that has been hit but not well, usually either being caught by the opposing team or going foul. Usually used in the past tense with get.
he got a piece of that one; she got a piece of the ball[…]and it's going foul.
An individual; a person.
A castle; a fortified building.
A pacifier; a dummy.
A distance or amount.
a far piece
located a fair piece away from their camp
A structured practice row, often used for performance evaluation.
At practice we rowed four 5,000 meter pieces.
That last piece was torture.
An amount of work to be done at one time; a unit of piece work.
An ounce of a recreational drug.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English pece, peece, peice, from Old French piece, from Late Latin pecia, petia (“broken piece, fragment; parcel of land”), of uncertain origin. Possibly ultimately from Gaulish *pettyā, from Proto-Celtic *kʷezdis (“piece, portion, quota”). Compare Welsh peth (“thing, stuff, junk”), Breton pez (“thing”), Irish cuid (“part, portion”). Compare French pièce, Portuguese peça, Spanish pieza, Italian pezza, Italian pezzo. Displaced native Middle English sticche, stucche (“piece, fragment”) from Old English styċċe (“piece, portion”), whence also English styca.
To assemble (something real or figurative).
These clues allowed us to piece together the solution to the mystery.
To make, enlarge, or repair, by the addition of a piece or pieces; to patch; often with out.
to piece a garment
To produce a work of graffiti more complex than a tag.
To eat small quantities of food between meals; to snack; to take small or intermittent bites at a food item.
Where this word comes from
From Middle English pece, peece, peice, from Old French piece, from Late Latin pecia, petia (“broken piece, fragment; parcel of land”), of uncertain origin. Possibly ultimately from Gaulish *pettyā, from Proto-Celtic *kʷezdis (“piece, portion, quota”). Compare Welsh peth (“thing, stuff, junk”), Breton pez (“thing”), Irish cuid (“part, portion”). Compare French pièce, Portuguese peça, Spanish pieza, Italian pezza, Italian pezzo. Displaced native Middle English sticche, stucche (“piece, fragment”) from Old English styċċe (“piece, portion”), whence also English styca.
Try it on your idea.
piece has 5 characters. Say it out loud, try it alongside a description of your project, and see whether its meaning fits what you want to create.
These are naming prompts. Meanings and pronunciation can vary; existing brand and domain uses have not been checked.
Explore the name generatorA word with a source.
Definitions, grammatical labels, IPA, etymology and examples: Wiktionary contributors, extracted by Kaikki / Wiktextract. Adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected fields and authored examples are shown; third-party quotations and audio are omitted. See contributor history.
Last enriched 2026-09-10. Definitions are in English. Romanizations are shown when supplied by the source; syllable estimates are omitted for unsupported scripts.