pile on
phrasal verb
piled on; piling on; piles on
US, informal
: to join other people in criticizing something or someone in usually an unfair way
After the first few negative reviews, all the other critics started piling on.
Examples of pile on in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This versatile salad can be eaten as-is, piled on top of lettuce or greens, or forked through cooked pasta or rice.
—
Stacey Ballis, Southern Living, 5 June 2024
The dusty, blue-green coins appear densely packed and piled on top of each other.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 30 May 2024
There are far too many sea lions to fit on the floats, and on a recent afternoon the marine mammals repeatedly piled on top of each other and pushed each other off.
—Heather Knight Ian C. Bates, New York Times, 30 May 2024
The Giants piled on for five runs in the 10th, with Mike Yastrzemski delivering the knockout blow on a bases-clearing triple off left-hander Josh Walker.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 25 May 2024
The victims were found with their hands tied behind their backs and dumped into a pile on Monday night.
—Liza Esquibias, Peoplemag, 22 May 2024
While some 140 countries – more than two-thirds of the United Nations – recognize a Palestinian state, the cascade on May 22 of announcements could build momentum at a time when even close allies of Israel have piled on criticism for its conduct in Gaza.
—Joseph Wilson, Melanie Lidman, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 May 2024
As the delays piled on over the past year, even Costner’s co-stars admitted to feeling anxious about its return.
—Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 21 May 2024
Canes lay in piles on their sides, ready for the volunteers to knock off dirt clods that otherwise would keep them from drying out, leaving them as a possible threat with the next flood.
—Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 20 May 2024
Stacey Ballis, Southern Living, 5 June 2024
The dusty, blue-green coins appear densely packed and piled on top of each other.
—Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 30 May 2024
There are far too many sea lions to fit on the floats, and on a recent afternoon the marine mammals repeatedly piled on top of each other and pushed each other off.
—Heather Knight Ian C. Bates, New York Times, 30 May 2024
The Giants piled on for five runs in the 10th, with Mike Yastrzemski delivering the knockout blow on a bases-clearing triple off left-hander Josh Walker.
—Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 25 May 2024
The victims were found with their hands tied behind their backs and dumped into a pile on Monday night.
—Liza Esquibias, Peoplemag, 22 May 2024
While some 140 countries – more than two-thirds of the United Nations – recognize a Palestinian state, the cascade on May 22 of announcements could build momentum at a time when even close allies of Israel have piled on criticism for its conduct in Gaza.
—Joseph Wilson, Melanie Lidman, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 May 2024
As the delays piled on over the past year, even Costner’s co-stars admitted to feeling anxious about its return.
—Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 21 May 2024
Canes lay in piles on their sides, ready for the volunteers to knock off dirt clods that otherwise would keep them from drying out, leaving them as a possible threat with the next flood.
—Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 20 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pile on.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near pile on
Cite this Entry
“Pile on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pile%20on. Accessed 16 Jun. 2024.
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