INDEX:
1. a part of something that has been separated from the rest
2. a piece that has a regular shape
3. a piece that does not have a regular shape
4. a thin flat piece
5. a very small piece
6. a small piece of something bigger
RELATED WORDS
one of the parts that something is made of : ↑ PART
piece of work : ↑ WORK
see also
↑ SEPARATE
↑ CUT
↑ BREAK
↑ TEAR
◆◆◆
1. a part of something that has been separated from the rest
▷ piece /piːs/ [countable noun]
an amount of something that has been broken, cut, or separated from something larger :
▪ a pack of chicken pieces
piece of
▪ There were pieces of broken glass all over the road.
▪ a simple boat made from a few pieces of wood
cut/break etc something into pieces
▪ Tim cut the pie into eight pieces.
tear/break/smash etc something to pieces
▪ The old wreck had been smashed to pieces on the island’s rocks.
in pieces
broken into many pieces
▪ The vase lay in pieces on the floor.
fall to pieces
▪ The books were eagerly borrowed and well used, and they finally fell to pieces.
▷ bit /bɪt/ [countable noun] especially spoken
a small piece of something :
▪ I’d like to try that cake. Just give me a small bit please.
bit of
▪ Have you got a bit of paper I can write your address on?
little/small/tiny bits
▪ There were little bits of food all over the carpet.
break/smash/blow etc something to bits
▪ There’ll be a war, and we’ll all be blown to bits!
fall to bits
British
▪ The jumper was very cheap - it’ll probably fall to bits the first time I wear it.
2. a piece that has a regular shape
▷ block /blɒkǁblɑːk/ [countable noun]
a large solid piece of wood, stone, or ice that has straight sides :
▪ Concrete blocks were used by most builders in the 1960s when constructing office buildings.
block of
▪ The fish were lying on huge blocks of ice to keep them cold.
cut something into blocks
▪ The ice was cut into blocks and stored in a special shed.
▷ cube /kjuːb/ [countable noun]
a solid object with six equal square sides :
ice cube
▪ For a joke, he put an ice cube down the back of her dress.
cube of
▪ She dropped a cube of sugar into her tea and stirred it with a spoon.
cut/chop something into cubes
▪ Cut the melon into 2cm cubes and leave to soak in some port or red wine.
▷ slab /slæb/ [countable noun]
a thick, flat, heavy piece of something such as stone :
stone/concrete/marble slab
▪ His grave is covered by a huge marble slab.
slab of
▪ Slabs of concrete had been used to build a pathway for people to walk on.
▪ The butcher’s counter was covered in huge slabs of red meat and the air smelled of blood.
▷ bar /bɑːʳ/ [countable noun]
a fairly long, thick piece of something such as metal, soap, or chocolate :
▪ We go through so much soap in our family that I buy about 10 bars a month.
bar of chocolate/soap/gold
▪ I used to buy a bar of chocolate every day and give half to my friend.
chocolate/candy/gold bar
▪ I helped him take the wrapper off his candy bar.
▪ The gold bars were transported from the bank in an armored truck.
3. a piece that does not have a regular shape
▷ chunk /tʃʌŋk/ [countable noun]
a piece of something solid that does not have a regular shape :
▪ a can of pineapple chunks
chunk of
▪ A large chunk of plaster had fallen from the ceiling.
▪ Peanut butter is best spread on chunks of crusty bread.
cut/break etc something into chunks
▪ Cut the potatoes into chunks and boil them for 15 minutes.
▷ lump /lʌmp/ [countable noun]
a small piece of something solid that does not have a regular shape :
▪ There are a lot of lumps in this sauce.
lump of
▪ Throw a few more lumps of coal on the fire.
▪ I was almost hit by a lump of rock that fell from the cliff.
▷ hunk /hʌŋk/ [countable noun]
a large, irregularly-shaped piece of something, especially food, that has been cut or torn from a bigger piece :
hunk of meat/bread/cheese etc
▪ For lunch I had cheese with a hunk of bread and a glass of red wine.
▪ Jack cut off a hunk of meat and handed it to Simon.
▷ dollop /ˈdɒləpǁˈdɑː-/ [countable noun]
a piece of a thick liquid or soft substance, usually served from a spoon :
dollop of
▪ He put a dollop of honey on his bread and spread it around with a knife.
▪ Louise watched as the dollop of mashed potato fell onto her plate.
4. a thin flat piece
▷ sheet /ʃiːt/ [countable noun]
a thin flat piece of something such as paper, glass, or metal, usually with four straight sides :
▪ Wrapping paper is sold in sheets or rolls.
sheet of
▪ She decorated a sheet of mirrored glass with a few pressed flowers.
▪ Sinks can be pressed from a single sheet of steel.
▷ strip /strɪp/ [countable noun]
a thin flat piece of something such as cloth or paper :
strip of
▪ You will need a strip of stiff cardboard to make this hat.
cut/snip etc something into strips
▪ She then snipped the satin into thin strips.
▷ slip /slɪp/ [countable noun]
a small narrow piece of paper, usually with information written on it :
▪ The bank clerk handed me an official blue slip to sign.
slip of
▪ Everyone who votes has to fill in a slip of paper in order to register.
wage slip British /pay slip American
a slip of paper that shows how much you have been paid
▪ I looked through my wallet for last month’s wage slip.
▷ pane /peɪn/ [countable noun]
a flat piece of glass which has been cut to the size of a window :
pane of
▪ The bullet shattered two panes of glass.
window pane
▪ I watched the rain as it pounded against the window pane.
▷ slice /slaɪs/ [countable noun]
a thin flat piece of food such as bread, meat, or cheese that has been cut from a bigger piece using a knife :
▪ ‘Would you like some more toast?’ ‘Just one more slice, please.’
slice of
▪ I admired the thick slices of plum cake arranged on the plate.
cut/carve something into slices
▪ The beef was carved into slices so thin you could almost see through them.
5. a very small piece
▷ grain /greɪn/ [countable noun]
a very small hard piece of something such as sand or salt :
▪ If you drop any rice you’ll have to pick up every single grain.
grain of
▪ You always end up with grains of sand in your food when you eat at the beach.
▪ A few grains of the tablet are left at the bottom of the glass.
▷ flake /fleɪk/ [countable noun]
a very small, flat piece of something such as snow or skin, that breaks easily :
▪ Her sunburnt skin was beginning to peel off in big flakes.
flake of
▪ Large white flakes of snow fell upon the cold ground.
▪ She brushed the flakes of dandruff from her shoulder.
▷ speck /spek/ [countable noun]
a piece of dust, dirt etc that is so small you almost cannot see it :
▪ She realized that the specks on his shirt were not dirt but blood.
speck of
▪ The room looked immaculate, not a speck of dust anywhere.
▷ fleck /flek/ [countable noun]
a small piece of dirt, dust, mud etc, usually in the form of a small mark or spot, that can be seen on a surface :
fleck of
▪ There were flecks of mud on my trousers after the walk in the woods.
▪ By the time he’d finished painting the ceiling the whole floor was covered with flecks of red paint.
▷ crumb /krʌm/ [countable noun]
a very small piece of food such as bread or cake :
▪ Put a plate under your chin to catch the crumbs.
▪ Cameron quickly swallowed his coffee and bread, and wiped the crumbs from his mouth.
breadcrumbs
▪ Roll the fish in breadcrumbs and grill it for half an hour.
▷ morsel /ˈmɔːʳs ə l/ [countable noun]
a word meaning a very small piece of food, used especially in literature :
▪ She had cleared her plate of every morsel.
morsel of
▪ Two gulls were fighting over a morsel of food.
6. a small piece of something bigger
▷ fragment /ˈfrægmənt/ [countable noun]
a small piece of something bigger, such as cloth, dishes, or building materials. that has been broken or torn :
▪ The bullet had pierced the bone, leaving behind fragments which the surgeon was unable to remove.
fragment of
▪ He was piecing together torn fragments of a letter.
▪ The excavation of a Roman town house revealed fragments of a mosaic floor.
▷ scrap /skræp/ [countable noun]
a very small piece of something such as paper, cloth, or food that is no longer useful or needed :
▪ The birds would eat any leftover food scraps.
scrap of
▪ He scribbled a note on an old scrap of paper.
▪ This quilt was lovingly made from scraps of material.
▷ splinter /ˈsplɪntəʳ/ [countable noun]
an extremely small, thin, and sharp piece of something such as wood, glass, or metal that was formed when the wood, glass, or metal was broken :
▪ The doctor removed the small steel splinters that had lodged themselves in my leg in the explosion.
splinter of
▪ The window smashed and splinters of glass flew everywhere.
▪ She sucked so hard that she drew the splinter of wood out of her finger.
▷ chip /tʃɪp/ [countable noun]
a small, irregularly-shaped piece of something such as wood or stone that remains after someone has been cutting or working with the wood or stone :
▪ Wood chips covered the floor in the carpenter’s workshop.
chip of
▪ After the decorators had left there were chips of plaster all over the lobby.