piecemeal 1 of 2

as in gradual
proceeding or changing by steps or degrees a piecemeal attempt to remedy the traffic congestion

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piecemeal

2 of 2

adverb

1
2
as in apart
into parts or pieces one well-aimed blow ripped the piñata piecemeal

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of piecemeal
Adjective
The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that the White House is weighing executive action that could dismantle the department in a piecemeal fashion, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter. David Ingram, NBC News, 6 Feb. 2025 The series focuses on the piecemeal nature of the investigation but also the way in which the investigation was only advocated for by the families of the women whose bodies were found, a grieving sisterhood united in advocacy. Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 12 Mar. 2025
Adverb
While federal judges have since blocked these orders, Trump and his Department of Government Efficiency have canceled grants and contracts piecemeal. Robert Schmad, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 23 Mar. 2025 Other publications have worked out deals for compensation piecemeal, but no comprehensive methodology has emerged in what is becoming a digital Wild West. Dominic Patten, Deadline, 17 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for piecemeal

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Cite this Entry

“Piecemeal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piecemeal. Accessed 18 Apr. 2025.

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