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
Buyers' reluctance to engage in the market, which has been exacerbated by recent fears over the direction taken by the U.S. economy under the helm of President Donald Trump, has caused a pileup of unsold homes across the country—especially in areas where developers have built more new homes.
—
Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 July 2025
Customs facilities in Bangladesh have endured processing delays for exports and imports for two weeks, leading to concerns of more cargo pileup and backlogs at the country’s ports and inland container depots.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 14 July 2025
Behind the leaders, cars collided in pileups that would have made headlines at Daytona.
—William Liang, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2025
The short answer: As of April 2025, the AT in the Southern states is like a horrific multi-car pileup on the interstate that happened hours ago, just long enough that the wreckage has been moved to the side of the road to allow for cars to pass.
—Grayson Haver Currin, Outside Online, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for pileup
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Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 July 2025
Customs facilities in Bangladesh have endured processing delays for exports and imports for two weeks, leading to concerns of more cargo pileup and backlogs at the country’s ports and inland container depots.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 14 July 2025
Behind the leaders, cars collided in pileups that would have made headlines at Daytona.
—William Liang, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2025
The short answer: As of April 2025, the AT in the Southern states is like a horrific multi-car pileup on the interstate that happened hours ago, just long enough that the wreckage has been moved to the side of the road to allow for cars to pass.
—Grayson Haver Currin, Outside Online, 20 June 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 20 Aug. 2025.
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