A piece is a portion or part of something larger, a single item belonging to a group or set, or a creative or artistic work such as a piece of music or writing. As a verb, to piece (something together) means to join or assemble separate parts into a whole.
What Does Piece Mean?
Piece comes from Old French piece meaning "a portion" or "a fragment", which derives from Vulgar Latin pettia, likely borrowed from a Gaulish or Celtic root. The word entered Middle English in the 13th century and has since developed a wide range of uses covering physical fragments, items in a collection, and complete works of art or writing.
As a noun, piece has three overlapping senses. First, a physical portion that has been cut, broken, or separated: a piece of glass. Second, a single item forming part of a set: a chess piece. Third, a complete creative or intellectual work: a piece of music, a piece of journalism. The third sense is particularly common in academic and professional English.
One of the most important uses of piece is as a partitive noun — a measure word that makes uncountable nouns countable. Because you cannot say "two furnitures" or "three advices", English uses pieces of: two pieces of furniture, three pieces of advice. Mastering this pattern is essential for accurate written English.
As a verb, piece together means to reconstruct or assemble something from separate elements, often used metaphorically: Investigators slowly pieced together the events leading up to the accident.
Example Sentences
| Sentence | Level & usage note |
|---|---|
| Can I have a piece of cake, please? | A2 — piece of + uncountable noun (food) |
| Please read this piece of writing and check for errors. | B1 — piece of writing; the given example sentence |
| She played a beautiful piece on the piano at the school concert. | B1 — piece as a creative/musical work |
| The report was a compelling piece of investigative journalism. | B2 — piece of + abstract work; formal register |
| Forensic experts spent weeks piecing together the sequence of events from the available evidence. | C1 — phrasal verb; piece together used metaphorically |
Common Collocations
| Collocation | Example |
|---|---|
| a piece of advice | Let me give you a piece of advice: always proofread your work. |
| a piece of music | The orchestra performed a dramatic piece of music by Elgar. |
| a piece of information | That was a very useful piece of information. |
| a piece of furniture | Every piece of furniture in the room was hand-made. |
| a piece of work | This essay is an excellent piece of work. |
| a piece of paper | Write your answer on a separate piece of paper. |
| a piece of news | I have an interesting piece of news to share with you. |
| piece together | She pieced together the torn document. |
| in one piece | The parcel arrived in one piece, which was a relief. |
| go to pieces | He completely went to pieces when he heard the news. |
Usage Notes
Key Patterns to Know
- piece of + uncountable noun: Use this pattern to count things that cannot normally be counted — a piece of bread, a piece of evidence, a piece of equipment.
- piece as a creative work: In arts journalism and academic writing, piece is a sophisticated alternative to "work" or "text" — a thought-provoking piece, a controversial piece.
- in one piece (idiom): means undamaged or unharmed — I'm glad you arrived in one piece.
- go to pieces (idiom): means to lose control of your emotions or to become very upset — She went to pieces at the funeral.
- piece together (phrasal verb): reconstruct or assemble from parts — often used for investigations, puzzles, and memories.
- Spelling alert: piece and peace are homophones (/piːs/). Remember: "a piece of pie" — both words contain the letters ie.
Common Mistakes
Watch Out For
I need a peace of advice. (wrong spelling)
I need a piece of advice. (piece, not peace)
She gave me two informations. (information is uncountable)
She gave me two pieces of information. (use piece of + uncountable noun)
He pieced together all informations from the report.
He pieced together all the information from the report.