1 N‑UNCOUNT Pique is the feeling of annoyance you have when you think someone has not treated you properly. □ [+ at ] Eventually, Mr Green left, although not, as widely believed, out of pique at not becoming chief executive.
2 VERB If something piques your interest or curiosity, it makes you interested or curious. □ [V n] This phenomenon piqued Dr Morris' interest. □ [V -ed] Their curiosity piqued, they stopped writing.
3 PHRASE If someone does something in a fit of pique , they do it suddenly because they are annoyed at being not treated properly. □ Lawrence, in a fit of pique, left the Army and took up a career in the City.
piqued /piː kt/ ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] If someone is piqued , they are offended or annoyed, often by something that is not very important. □ If you end up with the smallest room, it's hard not to be a little piqued. □ [+ by ] She wrinkled her nose, piqued by his total lack of enthusiasm.
pi|ra|cy /pa I rəsi/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Piracy is robbery at sea carried out by pirates. □ Seven of the fishermen have been formally charged with piracy.
2 N‑UNCOUNT You can refer to the illegal copying of things such as DVDs and computer programs as piracy . □ …protection against piracy of books and films.
pi|ra|nha /p I rɑː nə/ (piranhas or piranha ) N‑COUNT A piranha is a small, fierce fish which is found in South America.
pi|rate /pa I rət/ (pirates , pirating , pirated )
1 N‑COUNT Pirates are sailors who attack other ships and steal property from them. □ In the nineteenth century, pirates roamed the seas.
2 VERB Someone who pirates films, books, files or computer programs copies and sells them when they have no right to do so. □ [V n] He was accused of pirating music, movies and other web material. ● pi|rat|ed ADJ □ They had modified their consoles to play pirated games.
3 ADJ [ADJ n] A pirate version of something is an illegal copy of it. □ Pirate copies can be downloaded easily.
pi |rate ra |dio N‑UNCOUNT Pirate radio is the broadcasting of radio programmes illegally. [BRIT ] □ …a pirate radio station.
pirou|ette /p I rue t/ (pirouettes , pirouetting , pirouetted )
1 N‑COUNT A pirouette is a movement in ballet dancing. The dancer stands on one foot and spins their body round fast.
2 VERB If someone pirouettes , they perform one or more pirouettes. □ [V ] She pirouetted in front of the glass.
Pi|sces /pa I siːz/
1 N‑UNCOUNT Pisces is one of the twelve signs of the zodiac. Its symbol is two fish. People who are born approximately between the 19th of February and the 20th of March come under this sign.
2 N‑SING A Pisces is a person whose sign of the zodiac is Pisces.
piss /p I s/ (pisses , pissing , pissed )
1 VERB To piss means to urinate. [INFORMAL , RUDE ]
2 N‑SING If someone has a piss , they urinate. [INFORMAL , RUDE ]
3 N‑UNCOUNT Piss is urine. [INFORMAL , RUDE ]
4 VERB [usu cont] If it is pissing with rain, it is raining very hard. ● PHRASAL VERB Piss down means the same as piss . [BRIT , INFORMAL , RUDE ] □ [V P ] It was pissing down out there.
5 VERB If someone is pissing themselves , or is pissing themselves laughing, they are laughing a lot. [BRIT , INFORMAL , RUDE ] □ [V pron-refl] I just pissed myself with laughter.
6 PHRASE If you take the piss out of someone, you tease them and make fun of them. [BRIT , INFORMAL , RUDE ]
▸ piss around in BRIT, also use piss about 1 PHRASAL VERB If you say that someone pisses around or pisses about , you mean they waste a lot of time doing unimportant things. [mainly BRIT , INFORMAL , RUDE , DISAPPROVAL ] □ [V P ] Now, let's stop pissing about, shall we?
2 PHRASAL VERB If you say that someone pisses around or pisses about , you mean they behave in a silly, childish way. [BRIT , INFORMAL , RUDE ] □ [V P ] We just pissed about, laughing.
▸ piss down → see piss 4
▸ piss off
1 PHRASAL VERB If someone or something pisses you off , they annoy you. [INFORMAL , RUDE ] □ [V n P ] It pisses me off when they start moaning about going to war. ● pissed off ADJ □ I was really pissed off.
2 PHRASAL VERB If someone tells a person to piss off , they are telling the person in a rude way to go away. [BRIT , INFORMAL , RUDE ]
pissed /p I st/
1 ADJ Someone who is pissed is drunk. [BRIT , INFORMAL , RUDE ] □ He was just lying there completely pissed.
2 ADJ [v-link ADJ ] If you say that someone is pissed , you mean that they are annoyed. [AM , INFORMAL , RUDE ] □ [+ at ] You know Molly's pissed at you.
pi ss-poo r ADJ If you describe something as piss-poor , you think it is of extremely poor quality. [BRIT , INFORMAL , RUDE ] □ …a piss-poor comedy.
pi ss-take (piss-takes ) N‑COUNT [usu sing] A piss-take is an act of making fun of someone or something. [BRIT , INFORMAL , RUDE ]
pi ss-up (piss-ups ) N‑COUNT [usu sing] If a group of people have a piss-up , they drink a lot of alcohol. [BRIT , INFORMAL , RUDE ]
pis|ta|chio /p I stæ tʃioʊ/ (pistachios ) N‑VAR Pistachios or pistachio nuts are small, green, edible nuts.