Definition

1. Adverb:
   • To or from each one; for each individual: Used to indicate that something applies equally to each member of a group, often specifying an amount, quantity, or share distributed individually.

Usage

• Position in a sentence: "Apiece" typically follows the noun or amount it modifies.
• Function: It clarifies that a stated number, amount, or action pertains to each single item or person within a mentioned group.

Examples

• Adverb:
  • The tickets cost twenty dollars apiece. (Each individual ticket costs twenty dollars.)
  • She gave the children two cookies apiece. (She gave two cookies to each child.)
  • The team members were fined fifty dollars apiece for the violation. (Each team member was fined fifty dollars.)

Advanced Usage

• "apiece" in comparisons or distributions: Often used when discussing equal shares, costs, or allocations among multiple entities.
  • The prizes were awarded, with the top three contestants winning one thousand dollars apiece.
• "apiece" with collective nouns or numbers: Can follow a plural noun or a number to specify the per-unit rate.
  • We bought a dozen eggs, which were priced at thirty cents apiece.

Variants and Related Words

• Each (adverb/determiner/pronoun): Used to refer to every one of two or more people or things, regarded and identified separately. While similar, "each" can function in more grammatical roles (e.g., "Each child received a gift" vs. "The gifts cost ten dollars apiece").
• Per capita (adverb): By or for each person. This term is more formal and often used in statistical or economic contexts (e.g., income per capita), whereas "apiece" is more common in everyday speech about countable items.

Synonyms

• Each: For every one (of two or more).
• Individually: One by one; separately.
• Per unit: For each single item.

Notes on Meaning

• Distributive Meaning: The core meaning of "apiece" is distributive. It always relates a number or amount to individual units within a set.
• Not to be confused with "a piece": "Apiece" is a single word meaning "for each one." It is different from the phrase "a piece," which means a single part or item of something (e.g., "a piece of cake").

Adverb

1. to or from every one of two or more (considered individually)
   • they received $10 each