piecework

American  

[pees-wurk] / ˈpisˌwɜrk /

noun

1. work done and paid for by the piece.

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piecework British  

/ ˈpiːsˌwɜːk /

noun

1. work paid for according to the quantity produced Compare timework

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Other Word Forms

• pieceworker noun

Etymology

Origin of piecework

First recorded in 1540–50; piece + work

Example Sentences

The way pay works in most dealership service departments is essentially a piecework system called “flat rate.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 7, 2026

The collection was then tucked away into FIDM’s archives until Frank’s colleague posted one of the blazers on Instagram, highlighting the garment’s mesh of “Victorian-style piecework and embroidery with precision mitered tailoring.”

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 13, 2025

Many receive a piecework rate, or are simply trying to raise enough to subsist on, he points out.

From Science Daily • Nov. 20, 2023

Bennett credited his mother, Anna, with teaching him a valuable lesson as he watched her working at home, supporting her three children as a seamstress doing piecework after his father died.

From Washington Times • Jul. 21, 2023

His grandfather, who lived a few blocks away, was a sewer in the garment trade, doing piecework out of his house.

From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell