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

The Toronto International Film Festival comes at the end of the three-fest September pileup that marks the official start of award season. — Joe Reid, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026

But the Chicago pileup also shows why reliability has to come first. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026

Their portrayals, mixing ferocious strength with stark vulnerability, make the tragedy’s pileup of bodies at the end all the more piercing. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026

The price hike for any individual item would likely be modest, but the pileup of extra costs across an array of goods could weigh on wallets, analysts previously told ABC News. — Max Zahn, ABC News, 4 Sep. 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