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
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
Instead, the generic ‘90s throwback action movie plays like a string of car-crash pileups and urban destruction with little of interest in terms of the human element.
—
David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2025
As time went on, their pileup of vintage finds—1940s wrought iron chairs, garden urns, Hollywood-style regency stools, Royere-style iron armchairs, and more—overwhelmed their warehouse in Brooklyn.
—Sydney Gore, Architectural Digest, 29 Sep. 2025
The reason for this pileup of homes on the Florida market is that many buyers in the state can no longer afford the properties for sale.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
The pileup of applications is due, in part, to the end of President Joe Biden’s SAVE, or Saving on a Valuable Education, plan.
—Annie Nova, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pileup
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David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2025
As time went on, their pileup of vintage finds—1940s wrought iron chairs, garden urns, Hollywood-style regency stools, Royere-style iron armchairs, and more—overwhelmed their warehouse in Brooklyn.
—Sydney Gore, Architectural Digest, 29 Sep. 2025
The reason for this pileup of homes on the Florida market is that many buyers in the state can no longer afford the properties for sale.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
The pileup of applications is due, in part, to the end of President Joe Biden’s SAVE, or Saving on a Valuable Education, plan.
—Annie Nova, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pileup
Cite this Entry
“Pileup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pileup. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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