piece
piece — verb
- piecepresent simple I / you / we / they
- pieces3rd person singular
- piecing-ing form
- piecedpast simple
1. to make one complete thing by bringing separate parts together, or by building a
to make one complete thing by bringing separate parts together, or by building a whole picture from different bits of information.
Omar pieced the map together on the kitchen floor.
piece + object + together
From old letters, the family pieced their history together slowly.
By midnight, detectives pieced the train story together from phone calls.
In art class, Mei pieced a paper dragon from red cards.
By spring, the wall picture was pieced together from postcards and bus tickets.
- assemble
common for putting parts together in a planned way
- put together
the everyday phrase for combining separate parts
- reconstruct
often used for rebuilding an event or object from evidence
- separate
moves the parts away from each other
- take apart
means to break the whole back into pieces
文法句型
piece + object + together
piece + object + from + parts
piece + object + together + from + clues
用法筆記
This sense very often appears with 'together', especially for stories, plans, and broken objects. A 'from' phrase often names the parts, signs, or clues. Distinguish from sense 2: sense 1 focuses on combining parts into a whole, not mending one damaged area.
常見錯誤
2. to fix or finish something by putting extra bits onto the part that is broken or
to fix or finish something by putting extra bits onto the part that is broken or missing.
Grandma pieced the torn quilt with cloth from an old skirt.
piece + object + with + material
At the garage, Amir pieced the cracked mirror with clear tape.
After the storm, the fence was pieced with spare boards and wire.
Lila pieced her school costume with silver paper and blue thread.
Before sunset, the guide pieced the broken kite with two thin sticks.
文法句型
piece + object + with + material
用法筆記
Object is usually a damaged thing such as cloth, a fence, or a toy. English often names the added material with 'with'. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 2 repairs one existing thing, while sense 1 combines separate parts into a whole.
常見錯誤
piece — noun
- piecesingular
- piecesplural
1. one section, amount, or share taken from something larger.
one section, amount, or share taken from something larger.
Lena found a blue piece of glass near the river.
piece of + material noun
Dad cut me another piece of cake after dinner.
One piece of the toy train was missing from the box.
Each child got a small piece of the prize money.
- whole
the complete thing, not one section of it
文法句型
a piece of + noun
用法筆記
Often used in piece of + noun for food, material, broken parts, or a share of money or land.
常見錯誤
2. one whole object counted as a unit in a group of similar things.
one whole object counted as a unit in a group of similar things.
The movers carried each heavy piece of furniture downstairs.
counting uncountable nouns with piece of
Our school bought three new pieces of lab equipment.
At the airport, Rosa checked one piece of luggage.
The box held one extra piece of camping gear.
文法句型
a piece of + furniture/equipment/luggage
用法筆記
Common with nouns that are often uncountable, such as furniture, equipment, luggage, or gear. Distinguish from sense 1, which is about a part of something larger, and sense 5, which is about one member of a set.
常見錯誤
3. one garment, often talked about as a stylish, special, or carefully made choice.
one garment, often talked about as a stylish, special, or carefully made choice.
Nina bought one bright silk piece for the summer show.
fashion use with material adjective
The designer sent two black pieces down the runway.
Her best piece was a white coat with gold buttons.
At Paris Fashion Week, buyers praised the new wool pieces after the show.
文法句型
adjective/material + piece
用法筆記
Mainly used in fashion talk and clothing sales. It often appears with words for color, cloth, or style before the noun.
4. a complete work of music, writing, art, or media made as one item.
a complete work of music, writing, art, or media made as one item.
The choir ended with a quiet piece by a young composer.
piece by + creator
Mina wrote a short piece for the school newspaper.
piece for + publication
The gallery showed one new piece near the front door.
His funniest radio piece was about bus drivers in Taipei.
- work
the broad everyday word for something created
- composition
used especially for music or carefully written work
- article
fits journalistic writing better than music or art
文法句型
a piece by + creator
a piece for + newspaper/show
用法筆記
Common for music, articles, poems, artworks, and broadcasts. Distinguish from sense 2, which names a physical object or counted unit rather than created content.
5. one item that belongs to a matching set or collection.
one item that belongs to a matching set or collection.
Only one piece from the chess set was under the sofa.
piece from + set
Marta dropped a puzzle piece beside the kitchen table.
The toy came with six pieces, but Leo lost one.
The tea set has one missing piece after the move.
- set
the full group rather than one member of it
文法句型
piece from + set
[number] pieces
用法筆記
Usually refers to one member of things that are meant to stay together, such as a chess set, puzzle, toy set, or tea set. Distinguish from sense 2, where the item does not need to belong to a set.
6. a coin worth the amount named with it.
a coin worth the amount named with it.
Grandpa gave each child a shiny ten-cent piece at lunch.
value + piece for a coin
The washer needs one one-euro piece for each load.
The jar held several twenty-yen pieces from Japan.
Please bring a two-dollar piece for the station locker.
- coin
the general word; it does not itself state the value
文法句型
number/value + piece
用法筆記
Used after the value of a coin, especially when the value itself identifies the coin.
7. a gun, especially one a person can carry and use with one hand
a gun, especially one a person can carry and use with one hand
Police found a loaded piece under the driver's seat.
loaded piece
In the film, Rosa pulls a piece from her desk drawer.
pull a piece
The guard kept his piece hidden inside his long coat.
During the search, police took the piece from Malik's bag.
用法筆記
Usually refers to a smaller gun a person carries, not a long weapon such as a rifle. Common in crime stories and speech about weapons.
常見錯誤
8. a sandwich, often a simple one made for a quick meal
a sandwich, often a simple one made for a quick meal
Dad slipped a cheese piece into Eva's bag before the train ride.
food word + piece
At lunch, Ben bought a ham piece and milk from the cafe.
Before school, Nora made the children jam pieces for the picnic.
On the hike, we shared one tuna piece by the river.
用法筆記
Often follows a food word, as in 'ham piece' or 'jam piece'. Distinguish from sense 1, where 'piece' means only a part of something, not a whole meal.
9. a small object that a player moves on a board in a game such as chess
a small object that a player moves on a board in a game such as chess
Lina moved her last piece across the chessboard and won.
chess piece
One blue piece was missing from the box of checkers.
A game piece rolled under the sofa during family game night.
Each player starts with four pieces on the wooden board.
用法筆記
Often follows the name of the game, especially in phrases such as 'chess piece'. Unlike sense 2, this object is one players move by game rules.
常見錯誤
piece — suffix
1. added after a number to show that something has that many separate parts or memb
added after a number to show that something has that many separate parts or members.
The store sold a six-piece cookie box for the class trip.
number-piece + noun
For dinner, we shared a 12-piece chicken meal by the river.
The school jazz band is a five-piece with one singer and four players.
At the sale, Maya bought a two-piece swimsuit in green.
Each child received a three-piece art set with safe scissors.
- -part
close in meaning for things divided into sections, but less natural for clothes, meals, or bands
- containing
a full word used to explain the idea, not the fixed compound form
- made up of
a clause pattern rather than a short modifier before a noun
文法句型
number-piece + noun
be a number-piece
用法筆記
Usually follows a number to make a compound before a noun, as in 'a three-piece set'. With bands or groups, it can also appear after a linking verb, as in 'the band is a four-piece'.