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pier

American  
[peer] / pɪər /

noun

  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.

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

"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

Other Word Forms

  • underpier noun

Etymology

Origin of pier

before 1150; Middle English pere, earlier (perhaps late Old English ) per < Anglo-Latin pera, pēra pier of a bridge

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.

When he’s not spreading his love of Reese’s, he spends weekday afternoons singing Rolling Stones songs on karaoke machines in bars near the pier.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 28, 2026

Australia’s government is investing about $5.6 billion in Stirling for things like a training center, housing, improvements to the submarine pier, a facility to handle radioactive waste, and power.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 8, 2026

They could have been hanging at the pier or playing video games.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 12, 2026

An admission fee of £1 for non-residents was introduced in 2024 and doubled to £2 in March, and this "partially alleviated" lost revenue from the pier, a report filed in Companies House said.

From BBC • Jan. 2, 2026

Lady Meng flinched and pulled away, walking to the edge of the pier to look down into the black water.

From "When the Sea Turned to Silver" by Grace Lin

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.