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

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

The moves come as 311 has received nearly 3,000 complaints related to dog waste citywide so far this year, including a significant spike after the lengthy, lingering snow pileups this winter. — Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026

The prank consisted of 50 individuals simultaneously ordering a Waymo on the same dead-end street, creating a pileup that made the company disable rides until the next morning. — Joshua Hong, Fortune, 13 Aug. 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