piecework

[ pees-wurk ]

noun
  1. work done and paid for by the piece.

Origin of piecework

1
First recorded in 1540–50; piece + work

Other words from piecework

  • pieceworker, noun

Words Nearby piecework

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use piecework in a sentence

  • But while Marx thus objects to piecework because it leads to overwork, he objects to it also because it leads to underwork.

  • Among these expedients none is more strongly condemned by Marx than piecework, as encouraging over-exertion and overtime.

  • Dissipation and overtime generally go together, but neither of them is a necessary accompaniment of piecework.

British Dictionary definitions for piecework

piecework

/ (ˈpiːsˌwɜːk) /


noun
  1. work paid for according to the quantity produced: Compare timework

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012