pie

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈpī 

plural pies

1

a

: a dessert consisting of a filling (as of fruit or custard) in a pastry shell or topped with pastry or both

an apple pie

a slice of pumpkin pie

… desserts include lots of berry pies, butter pecan ice cream pies with a hot caramel topping, flummeries, and crisps.

—Judith and Evan Jones

b

: a meat dish baked with biscuit or pastry crust

a chicken pie

compare potpie

2

: pizza

The pizzeria earned its VPN (that's Vera Pizza Napoletana) status … for its authentic Neapolitan pies which are baked in a wood-fired oven imported from Italy.

—Katie Jackson

3

a

: affair, business

… she wanted her finger … in every possible social pie …

—Mary Deasy

b

: a whole regarded as divisible into shares

giving the less fortunate … a larger share of the economic pie

—R. M. Hutchins

pie

2 of 4

verb

pied; pieing; pies

transitive verb

informal

: to throw a pie at (someone) : to hit (someone) especially in the face with a pie

Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope was the latest target of a group of pie-wielding activists. … Pope was pied because he has gone against the interests of Sierra Club founder John Muir and the environment in his stance on such issues as the Headwaters Forest deal, the group said in a statement.

—Associated Press

One of his first duties as cub master was to be "pied" by those cub scouts who sold the most popcorn during a fundraiser to help pay for summer camp.

—Carol Malley

pie

3 of 4

noun (2)

plural pies

: magpie

pie

4 of 4

noun (3)

less common spelling of pi

1

: type that is spilled or mixed

2

: a pi character or matrix

Examples of pie in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Everything from apple pies and poached pears to snickerdoodles and chocolate tarts shines when paired with a glass of this wine. —Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 28 Oct. 2025

This recipe stars chocolate, pecans, and coconut in a can't-stop-at-one-slice pie. —Krissy Tiglias, Southern Living, 28 Oct. 2025

Verb

From the haunting call of the Indian paradise flycatcher to the flash of a Malabar pied hornbill's wings, the park is alive with exciting birds — a paradise for veteran birdwatchers and nascent enthusiasts alike. —Marion Miller, Travel + Leisure, 10 Oct. 2025

For now, however, the Manhattan apartment will only serve as the family’s East Coast pied-à-terre, not their main residence. —Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English

Verb

derivative of pie entry 1

Noun (2)

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin pica; akin to Latin picus woodpecker, Old High German speh

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Verb

1977, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing pie

• a piece/slice/share of the pie
• apple-pie
• (as) American as apple pie
• (as) easy as pie
• Boston cream pie
• cap-a-pie
• chess pie
• cottage pie
• cow pie
• cutie-pie
• eat humble pie
• have a finger in a/the/every pie
• humble pie
• in apple-pie order
• key lime pie
• pie chart
• pie-eyed
• pie-faced
• pie hole
• pie in the sky
• pie safe
• pumpkin pie spice
• shepherd's pie
• shoofly pie
• shut your pie hole
• sweetie pie
• Washington pie

Rhymes for pie

• ai
• aye
• bae
• bi
• buy
• by
• bye
• chai
• chi
• cry
• die
• dry

Kids Definition

pie

noun

ˈpī

: a dish consisting of a pastry crust and a filling (as of fruit or meat)