pileup

noun

pile·​up ˈpī(-ə)l-ˌəp 

1

: a collision involving usually several motor vehicles

2

a

: a jammed tangled mass or pile (as of motor vehicles or people) resulting from collision or accumulation

b

: accumulation

Synonyms of pileup

• accumulation
• collection
• pile
• jumble
• mixture
• gathering
• assemblage
• cumulation

Examples of pileup in a Sentence

A five-car pileup slowed traffic.

a pileup of e-mail messages that needed to be dealt with

Recent Examples on the Web

On the second, Nigel Mansell’s slow start triggered a 12-car pileup. — Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 26 June 2026

Suarez, 61, also slammed into a parked, occupied van that started a five-car pileup, police say. — Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 23 May 2026

Otherwise, the Democrats’ showing in the campaign has amounted to a pileup of debacles. — Mark Leibovich, The Atlantic, 4 June 2026

Apple added to the pileup on Monday by bringing its dispute with Epic Games to the justices’ emergency docket. — Ella Lee, The Hill, 6 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1900, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for pileup

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup