1 B2 neutral
to join separate physical parts to make something whole
"The archaeologists pieced together the broken vase in the lab."
mixed
piece together
B2 neutral mixed transitive/intransitive
to form, rebuild, or understand something by joining separate pieces or clues
In plain English
to make the whole thing by joining little parts
What does "piece together" mean?
3 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 idiomatic neutral
to gradually understand a situation by collecting and connecting bits of information
"Detectives are still piecing together what happened that night."
“
Police are still piecing together the events that led up to the crash.
— Common news report wording; exact source not reliably attributable
mixed
3 B2 idiomatic neutral
to rebuild a memory, story, or past event from incomplete parts
"After looking at the photos, she pieced together her childhood summers."
mixed
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
to join pieces so they make one whole
Actually means
to make the whole thing by joining little parts
Usage tip
Very common for both physical assembly and mental reconstruction from clues or memories.
Words that pair with "piece together"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
evidence story clues fragments puzzle memory
How to conjugate "piece together"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
piece together
I/you/we/they
3rd person
pieces together
he/she/it
Past simple
pieced together
yesterday
Past participle
pieced together
have + pp
-ing form
piecing together
continuous
Hear "piece together" in the wild
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Other ways to say "piece together"
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Keep exploring
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