pier

American  

[peer] / pɪər /

noun

• piers
  plural

1. 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.

2. (in a bridge or the like) a support for the ends of adjacent spans.

3. a square pillar.

4. a portion of wall between doors, windows, etc.

5. a pillar or post on which a gate or door is hung.

6. a support of masonry, steel, or the like for sustaining vertical pressure.

7. a long passageway or corridor that extends from a central area of a building, especially one at an airport that leads to boarding gates.

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pier British  

/ pɪə /

noun

1. a structure with a deck that is built out over water, and used as a landing place, promenade, etc

2. a pillar that bears heavy loads, esp one of rectangular cross section

3. the part of a wall between two adjacent openings

4. another name for buttress

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• underpier
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• piers
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pier piers

Speed boats and yachts dock along the pier.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

In Essex, people can watch the partial eclipse from Southend-on-Sea pier, Munnings Museum in Dedham hosts an event and Loughton Astronomical Society is holding another at Theydon Bois village green.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

By July 20, damage was visible near the northern pier, which belongs to the state-owned company that oversees the emirate’s oil-and-gas sector.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

July 20 in a parking lot next to the pier, which earlier in the day had been packed with World Cup watchers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

Together, we start walking away from the pier, continuing to discuss our wins.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

Shaking from a quake could damage wharves, piers, buildings and roadway above the seawall.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

But on either side stood empty piers whose planned allegorical statues by French had yet to be cast in bronze, much less installed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026

From piers to palaces, tourist attractions are getting creative to lure in the trippers.

From BBC ● May 1, 2026

But in 1982-83, when another super El Niño occurred, storms destroyed multiple piers and ripped away a 400-foot section of the Santa Monica Pier.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026

These buttresses, erected on foundations next to the piers, would later be connected to the piers themselves by stone arches known as flying buttresses.

From "Cathedral: The Story of Its Construction" by David Macaulay

Related Words

• dam
• dock
• jetty
• promenade
• wharf