Dictionary.com

piecemeal

[ pees-meel ]
/ ˈpisˌmil /
Save This Word!

adverb
piece by piece; one piece at a time; gradually: to work piecemeal.
into pieces or fragments: to tear a letter piecemeal.
adjective
done piecemeal.
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of piecemeal

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English pecemele; replacing Old English styccemǣlum, see piece, -meal
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use piecemeal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for piecemeal

piecemeal
/ (ˈpiːsˌmiːl) /

adverb
by degrees; bit by bit; gradually
in or into pieces or piece from pieceto tear something piecemeal
adjective
fragmentary or unsystematica piecemeal approach

Word Origin for piecemeal

C13 pecemele, from piece + -mele, from Old English mælum quantity taken at one time
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
FEEDBACK