1A portion of an object or of material, produced by cutting, tearing, or breaking the whole.

1. 1.1 One of the items that were put together to make something and into which it naturally divides.
   take a car to pieces

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Construction pieces from every set can be combined in an infinite number of ways, which contributes to excitement and adventure.
   • All of the pieces are cast or constructed in nonferrous metals, so that they resonate musically.
   • Even so, you could recycle those items into scrap pieces to make parts for another robot.
   • Silversmith Biggs was responsible for the basic design and construction of the piece.
   • By combining the good pieces and assembling them into a somewhat complete firearm, it can now be sold as a functioning weapon.
   • After that, you start sanding other people's work and start to help put pieces of furniture together.
   • The kit contains hundreds of miniature pieces of the popular construction toy that comprises a building system of rods and connectors.
   • If you wonder if you can replace the clutch yourself, you should first consider how much knowledge you have regarding how to do it and the car pieces involved.
   • The scribble is constructed from 229 separate pieces of steel, weighs 25 tonnes and has 72 twists.
   • In my day we only had the simplest of Lego pieces - just square blocks.
   • He suggested that the regulations previously construed could be said to apply to particular pieces of machinery of an unduly hazardous nature.
   • Sometimes pieces of the construct will be inserted as well as, or instead of, the full construct.
   • The pieces of the iron construction crashed down into the water.
   • For all customers who want to coat boat pieces and other non-car pieces, or car pieces which don't appear on our price list, we have tried to give you enough information below to estimate what your piece(s) would cost.
   • The laser device is used to monitor the correct alignment of mechanical pieces over a distance up to 10 m.

   Synonyms

   component, part, bit, section, segment, constituent, element
2. 1.2 An item of a particular type, especially one forming one of a set.
   a piece of luggage

   Example sentencesExamples

   • In short, there are hundreds of variations you can use when finishing a piece of furniture.
   • I have got some soundtracks that have huge orchestras, 80 - piece orchestras.
   • Those who are a dab hand with the paintbrush can update a piece of wooden furniture, such as a chair or side table, with jet-black gloss.
   • While a lot of the most valuable Shaker pieces are now antiques, the newer pieces, which are in the Shaker style, are extremely popular.
   • Among the museum's acquisitions, he discovered a piece of furniture that he had made 40 years before.
   • A four piece jazz band was assembled in the corner, playing for the customers.
   • We treat house plants like a piece of the furniture that fills the same space in a room all year round.
   • When searching for a suitable piece as an investment, the condition of an antique piece is very important.
   • Plain vinyls and some fabrics can reverse their direction when being put on a piece of furniture.
   • She left her job to pursue that dream and had even purchased a small piece of property to start the business in.
   • If you have room, consider adding a piece of outdoor furniture like a wicker chair or table.
   • He would then get up, grab at a piece of furniture, and throw it about the room.
   • It's believed she was injured by a large blunt object, possibly a piece of furniture.
   • Five female vocalists belted out soul classics backed by a 14 - piece band.
   • A piece of furniture, probably an old rotted sofa was covered with a white sheet.
   • Occasionally a client will have a specific project or a piece of furniture that he wants to make.
   • This observation may be used to help determine whether a piece of furniture has been rebuilt, using new wood.
   • The group consists of 32 dancers, eight singers and a 13 - piece band.
   • I stubbed one of my toes on a piece of furniture last night.
   • The £500 prize will be used to buy a piece of reproduction medieval furniture.

   Synonyms

   component, part, bit, section, segment, constituent, element
3. 1.3 An instance or example.
   a crucial piece of evidence

   Example sentencesExamples

   • But the crucial piece of evidence would be a description of a possible attacker.
   • A number of pieces of evidence have come forward to strengthen that.
   • You make no reference to this event or these pieces of evidence in your second report, do you?
   • And so, basically that was one of the key pieces of evidence that investigators were trying to get a hold of here.
   • Let me briefly mention two other pieces of survey evidence that are difficult to square with the setpoint model.
   • In a post-mortem examination, the smallest pieces of evidence can be the most important in explaining the cause of death.
   • The Government has certainly learnt a lot in the last 3 years, and those pieces of legislation are examples of what it has learnt.
   • The police, whose examination of the crime scene is perfunctory, miss this crucial piece of evidence.
   • We question the value of this piece of advice in the otherwise useful protocol.
   • DNA evidence is included in that, but there were other pieces of physical evidence that were left behind.
   • It may be one of the few solid pieces of evidence that the prosecution has been able to put up-to-date.
   • Changing the public mood would require three crucial pieces of evidence.
   • But under Scottish criminal law, two separate pieces of corroborating evidence are required to secure a conviction.
   • There are several key pieces of evidence that we think will lead us to the killer, male, pedophile.
   • A few examples of specific pieces of advice convey a sense of the value of Machiavelli's memo.
   • They've identified 120 different pieces of evidence that they have concerns with.
   • It also showed that a crucial piece of evidence was a baseball cap dropped by the murderer as he ran from the off licence.
   • There are 170 pieces of evidence against him proving he did this, two that they want retested.
   • Could this crucial piece of evidence be the cause of this poor girl's suicide?
   • But given the circumstances, it is, I think, one of the stronger pieces of evidence.

   Synonyms

   example, specimen, sample, instance, illustration, occurrence, case
4. 1.4 A financial share.
   each employee owns a piece of the company

   Example sentencesExamples

   • You can now give the gift of share ownership to a fan of The Walt Disney Company so they can own a piece of the company.
   • The idea behind the executive share option is that incentivised executives will work harder if they can see themselves owning a piece of the company they work for.
   • When you own shares of a company's stock, you own a piece of the company, sharing in its successes or failures along the way.
   • Unlike buying equity, investors do not own a piece of the company or government entity.
   • When you buy a share of stock, you purchase a piece of the company. You become part owner of the company.

   Synonyms

   share, slice, portion, quota, part, bit, percentage, amount, quantity, ration, fraction, division, subdivision
5. 1.5 A written, musical, or artistic creation or composition.
   a hauntingly beautiful piece of music

   Example sentencesExamples

   • They are both very beautiful pieces, both musically and lyrically, and her voice is just gorgeous.
   • Most, in fact, are relatively early pieces by composers who are now mid-career.
   • His close friendships with women produced some of the best-known pieces of music ever written by any composer; but they did not secure him a wife.
   • I might even offer the theory that it is the most perfect piece of music ever written.
   • Has anyone ever heard a beautiful piece of music played on a recorder?
   • Next, I shared how Beethoven's music was much more emotional and how he often wrote pieces in a minor key.
   • Each fellow will write several pieces while in residence, which will each be subjected to detailed criticism.
   • He wrote and arranged many pieces of liturgical music, and set up several computer programs.
   • There is currently an open invitation for composers to write pieces for the bells.
   • As a composer, he wrote several pieces for the oboe family, which I am delighted to publish.
   • A child prodigy, he wrote his first piece of music at the age of five and completed his first symphony at the age of eight.
   • Ideas and written pieces can be published online and vetted by readers before going to print, blogging helps the journalism process.
   • Students write about narrative pieces and give a title to their artwork.
   • Soon afterwards he was writing his own pieces, and at seven he became only the second child under the age of 10 ever to be accepted by the Vienna Conservatoire.
   • Never has such a beautiful piece of music been played on the electric guitar.
   • The program consisted of a wide range of varying pieces, including songs written by each of the performers.
   • She composed at least eight pieces, written for a variety of voices, instruments, and genres.
   • The piece conveys the sense of an urgent, fully focused formal sensibility at work.
   • We're not trying to just write songs, we're trying to write musical pieces.
   • Many of the pieces are beautifully written and personal.

   Synonyms

   work of art, work

   article, item, story, report, essay, study, review, composition, paper, column
6. 1.6 A coin of specified value.
   a 10-cent piece

   Example sentencesExamples

   • The penny piece is now worth less in real terms than either the farthing or the decimal halfpenny when they were withdrawn from circulation.
   • They were presented with a pouch containing silver one, two, three and four penny pieces from golden trays held by the Yeomen of the Guard.
   • Rain is continuing to come down across the region, with reports of hail the size of 20 cent pieces.
   • Was it one customer too many with the bags of two cent pieces?
   • Now, $2 coins seem tiny and a handful of 20 and 50 cent pieces weigh far too much.
   • This guy thinks we should get rid of the dime and replace it with an 18 cent piece.
   • They also snatched her purse, and took two old shilling pieces and a ladies watch.
   • The parsnips are ready to harvest when the crown is the diameter of a 50 cent piece.
   • Flowers range in size from a five cent piece to a compact disc in diameter.
   • I put $20 in five and ten cent pieces into an old jam jar, then filled it with water and placed it in the freezer.
   • Well, you have to admit it's slightly more plausible than upping the value of the penny piece to £1.
   • Is there any risk that the two euro coin will be mistaken for the Thai 10 baht piece, whose face value is eight times less?
   • He spins on the proverbial sixpence/one euro piece but drags his shot wide.
   • The boy passed them the letters, and two penny pieces, then thanked them for their kindness before returning the way he had come.
   • Would you shed a tear if the five cent piece suddenly disappeared from circulation?
   • They also included a selection of threepenny bits, a 1916 halfpenny and a penny piece from 1921.

   Synonyms

   bit
7. 1.7 A figure or token used to make moves in a board game.
   Example sentencesExamples

   • Knowing this, you can try and figure out which pieces are which simply by how they're being moved.
   • She stretched her legs out in front of her in a relaxed position, staring hard at the pieces on the long chess board before her.
   • Charlie moved her pieces with rapid decision, while Adam preferred to take his time.
   • Then, once many of his pieces cannot move, you add yours and win the game.
   • The buffalo player may only move his pieces one space directly forward as long as that space is unoccupied.
   • If a piece is in limbo, the player must get it back on the board before moving any other piece.
   • It was an abstract race game called Tempo in which pieces were moved not by the roll of the dice, but by the playing of cards.
   • Game pieces move horizontally and vertically, but not diagonally, making the game more challenging as paths become obstructed.
   • We love to roll dice and move pieces around a board, plot battleship strategies, play cribbage, chess, and mancala.
   • Withdrawing from the banquet and watching others move chess pieces was more compatible with his bleak mood.
   • Soon, his smile was back and he moved one of his pieces over.
   • She was sat on her desk, moving some puzzles' pieces, trying to figure out something, maybe an image, or a letter.
   • The objective is simply to be the first to move all the pieces across the board and into the star point opposite.
   • Glass playing pieces for board games have also been found in some numbers.
   • Adam moved his chess piece and leaned back, satisfied with the way the game was progressing.
   • In the end, he only shuffles around the pieces of a board game of his invention.
   • Chess pieces and chessboards lend themselves to all sorts of puzzles and mathematical investigations.
   • Hathorne feebly lifted one of the jade pieces and moved it diagonally to the edge of the board.
   • To focus on the moves of the individual pieces without understanding the strategy misses the point.
   • First, I'll show you how each pieces moves, then I'll show some basic opening strategies.

   Synonyms

   token, counter, man, disc, chip, marker
8. 1.8Chess A king, queen, bishop, knight, or rook, as opposed to a pawn.
   Example sentencesExamples

   • This can be done by a pawn break or by a sacrifice involving pieces or pawns.
   • If the single piece happens to be Queen or Rook, the weaker party becomes all too powerful.
   • Though the Queen is the strongest piece, it is vulnerable to attack by weaker enemy units.
   • Black gets three pawns for the piece, which leaves him a pawn down on balance - in theory.
   • Here, however, you will find more coverage of endgames with more pieces and pawns.
9. 1.9North American informal A firearm.
   Example sentencesExamples

   • They had smuggled small artillery pieces and more than 100 small mortars across the US patrolled border.
   • The gunner's stopped the armoured artillery pieces, ready to fire at a word's notice.
   • The cavalry turned in its horses for pack mules because mules could carry artillery pieces through rugged terrain.
   • Artillery pieces were faked out of long black logs stuck on old truck wheels.
   • He equipped his cavalry with pistols, abandoning the obsolete lance, and began to concentrate standardized artillery pieces in batteries.
   • Not every man knows his way around a shooting piece, but firearms are a manly art.
   • It will be surrounded by a two metre-deep trench and have only one entrance, which will be protected by artillery pieces and machine gun posts.
   • Parrot and Dahlgren developed large, smooth-bore cannon by 1860, not rifled pieces as he implies.
   • Among their weaponry are surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles and artillery pieces.
   • More than half of the aircraft had been damaged beyond use, and most of the larger artillery pieces.
   • Soldiers gather along the length of the trenches, artillery pieces prepare for the opening barrage.
   • Artillery pieces did not have sufficient tube elevation or depression angles for direct fire delivery.
   • The wreck has been heavily excavated by archaeologists, but worn iron guns, cannonballs and small pieces are still to be found.
   • He now was within metres of the artillery piece that shelled him and his late friend.
   • We have the best tanks in the world and the best armored personnel carriers and artillery pieces.
   • The battle raged for several hours but the Zulus spears were no match for the Boers' rifles and artillery pieces.
10. 1.10offensive, informal A woman.
    Synonyms

    lady, girl, member of the fair sex, member of the gentle sex, female

1piece something togetherAssemble something from individual parts.

1. 1.1 Slowly make sense of something from separate facts and pieces of evidence.
   Daniel had pieced the story together from the radio

   Example sentencesExamples

   • Often he just says a string of single words, hoping the listener can piece them together to make sense of what he is trying to say.
   • We are intrigued by narrative clues, and must piece them together to see the whole picture. The revelations are desolate.
   • Later that day, Margaret finally pieced the whole story together.
   • Somehow I am able to extract enough sense from our dialogue to piece the story together.
   • He's just got to judge the evidence as he pieces it together.
   • Now, usually when someone tells you something important, you have to piece the words together slowly, and really understand them to decipher the meaning.
   • Later, when she was old enough to understand Katherine's disease, she was able to piece the puzzle together, and it only made her more furious at her father.
   • Both sides are equipped for this war, and the jury will have to piece this evidence together to see whether or not this case, they can prove it beyond a reasonable doubt.
   • Scotland Yard is still trying to piece the story together.
   • Simply the fact that it took three editions before it was exposed indicates that few readers cared enough about the evidence to piece it together.
   • With the help of this person and others, you can piece the entire story together.
   • Anyone who has been awake and alert should have pieced the evidence together sufficiently to arrive at an understanding consistent with the one summarized in the Post story.
   • When the evidence is pieced together, it seems that evolution prepared what society later moulded: a brain to believe.
   • Although most of the early settlers left few if any records, it is still possible to piece their story together.
   • ‘Okay,’ David said slowly, as if trying to piece things together.
   • Who I am or why I'm piecing this story together doesn't matter.
   • To tell the story correctly, a person would need to sift through thousands and thousands of pages of archival material from all over the country and then piece bits together into a coherent story.
   • Small snippets of that day at the stables returned to her in her dreams, and she was slowly piecing it together.
   • Remembering the heart attack I pieced the evidence together.
   • Unfortunately, the driver was a plain clothes police officer, who quickly pieced the whole story together.

   Synonyms

   understand, comprehend, work out, fathom out, make sense of, grasp, catch, follow, perceive, make out, penetrate, divine, search out, ferret out, puzzle out, take in, assimilate, absorb, get to the bottom of

2piece something outarchaic Extend something.

3archaic Patch (something)