Definition

Noun: 1. A product or result created through effort, activity, or agency: Refers to something that has been made, accomplished, or brought about by a person, a group, or a force. It emphasizes the outcome of labor, creativity, or natural processes.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • That sculpture is a remarkable piece of work. (The sculpture is a notable product of artistic effort.)
  • The committee presented their final report, a comprehensive piece of work. (The report is the accomplished result of the committee's activity.)
  • The canyon is a stunning piece of work by natural forces over millennia. (The canyon is a product created by the agency of natural forces.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase can sometimes be used idiomatically or ironically to describe a person who is complicated, difficult, or eccentric, implying they are a "creation" of peculiar circumstances or nature.
  • He's a real piece of work, always causing drama. (He is a complicated or difficult individual.)

Variants and Related Words

• Work (n): Activity involving mental or physical effort done to achieve a result. (e.g., )
• Workpiece (n): An object being worked on with a tool or machine. (e.g., )
• Artwork (n): A pictorial, graphic, or sculptural work of art. (e.g., )
• Masterwork (n): A work done with extraordinary skill; a masterpiece. (e.g., )

Synonyms

• Creation: Something that has been made or brought into existence.
• Product: An article or substance that is manufactured or refined for sale, or a result.
• Achievement: A thing done successfully, typically by effort, courage, or skill.
• Opus: A creative work, especially a musical composition or set of compositions.

Related Phrases

• Body of work: The complete collection of an artist's, writer's, or composer's creative output.
  • The prize honors her entire body of work.
• Work of art: A creation, such as a painting, sculpture, etc., valued for its beauty or emotional power.
  • The garden was a true work of art.

Related Idioms

• A nasty piece of work: An unpleasant, malicious, or dishonest person.
  • Be careful negotiating with him; he's a nasty piece of work.

Noun

1. a product produced or accomplished through the effort or activity or agency of a person or thing
   • it is not regarded as one of his more memorable works
   • the symphony was hailed as an ingenious work
   • he was indebted to the pioneering work of John Dewey
   • the work of an active imagination
   • erosion is the work of wind or water over time