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

In the early days of Knott’s, customers, primarily Los Angeles-area residents, would stop by en route to the Pacific Ocean during the summer months to purchase pie or boysenberries to take with them for snacks on the beach. —Brock Keeling, Orange County Register, 25 Apr. 2024

The meat version of this specialty pie is made with a spicy crema base, then topped with chicken, roasted corn, onion, jalapeños, cotija cheese, cilantro, tajin and lime. —Alexandra Maloney, Charlotte Observer, 23 Apr. 2024

The original stars of The Blair Witch Project are asking for a larger slice of the pie as the franchise gears up for a reboot. —Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 22 Apr. 2024

Every month, our portion of the pie shrinks due to the rising cost of food, gas, insurance and home maintenance — unlike PG&E’s CEO and her executive minions who can live like royalty after receiving huge compensation increases in 2023. —Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 19 Apr. 2024

Foods on offer include rhubarb pork pies, jams, gins, liqueurs, and various tarts and other desserts. —Corey Buhay, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Apr. 2024

The pie comes with a crust, removable lid, seven types of fruit (60 pieces in total), removable dividers, two pairs of jumbo tweezers, and instructional materials. —Quincy Bulin, Parents, 16 Apr. 2024

Here’s a recipe for Texas-style pecan pie from famed Oxbow Bakery. —Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 2024

Modestly sized lidded bowls were joined by dry-goods canisters, pie keepers, pitchers, and measuring cups. —Amanda Mull, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2024

Verb

Those pied include Andy Warhol, economist Milton Friedman, logging industry executive Charles Hurwitz, Monsanto chairman Robert Shapiro and Bill Gates. Cakes have become subjects of political debates for both sides. —Shelly Tan, Washington Post, 21 Sep. 2023

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

Kids Definition

pie

noun

ˈpī

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