pier
Americannoun
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a structure built on posts extending from land out over water, used as a landing place for ships, an entertainment area, a strolling place, etc.; jetty.
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(in a bridge or the like) a support for the ends of adjacent spans.
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a square pillar.
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a portion of wall between doors, windows, etc.
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a pillar or post on which a gate or door is hung.
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a support of masonry, steel, or the like for sustaining vertical pressure.
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a long passageway or corridor that extends from a central area of a building, especially one at an airport that leads to boarding gates.
noun
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a structure with a deck that is built out over water, and used as a landing place, promenade, etc
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a pillar that bears heavy loads, esp one of rectangular cross section
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the part of a wall between two adjacent openings
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another name for buttress
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of pier
before 1150; Middle English pere, earlier (perhaps late Old English ) per < Anglo-Latin pera, pēra pier of a bridge
Explanation
A pier is a platform reaching out to sea that can be used as a landing place for ships. If you enjoy sea fishing and don't have a boat, try casting your line from the end of the pier. Pier has two meanings. The most common is for the platform, often wooden, that extends over water away from shore, so that ships can dock. Many seaside towns have turned their piers into entertainment districts, with games and places to stroll. A pier can also be a pillar that supports a bridge.
Vocabulary lists containing pier
Built To Last: Architectural Parlance
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Seas The Day: Words That Shore Are Beachy
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Civil Engineering
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In 1956 a fire at Bush Terminal’s 35th Street pier, not far from Gowanus, produced what was then one of the largest explosions in New York’s history.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 9, 2026
The Welsh Ambulance Service said two emergency ambulances and an operations manager were waiting at New Quay's main pier to receive and treat the casualties.
From BBC • Jun. 27, 2026
Iranian state television, citing a reporter in Sirik, said an explosion was heard late Friday at Taherouyeh pier in the southern port city.
From Barron's • Jun. 26, 2026
The funding requests for the pier also come as San Francisco sees its highest summer water levels ever.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2026
Near midnight on the night of September 30, 1962, four Soviet submarine commanders walked through thick fog along a wooden pier on Sayda Bay, an inlet of the Barents Sea.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
