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

But if the stadium doors open onto a wide field, people spread out, and there’s no pileup. —Avery Schuyler Nunn, Scientific American, 13 Nov. 2025

Sightseers and people taking selfies are creating a significant traffic pileup and impeding trucks providing relief supplies, the officials said. —Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 4 Nov. 2025

Such low visibility poses a considerable risk, potentially leading to accidents and vehicle pileups. —Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025

Skip over the dish pileup with a groovy playlist and designate some helpers to wash and dry before dinner is even served. —Joseph Hernandez, Bon Appetit Magazine, 21 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1900, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for pileup

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