as in to accumulate
to gradually form into a layer, pile, or mass
snow piling up in the driveway at a rapid pace
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in accumulation
a mass or quantity that has piled up or that has been gathered over a period of time
a pileup of e-mail messages that needed to be dealt with
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pile (up)
ABC News, 14 Apr. 2026
Declutter If there is a pileup, and decluttering sessions is warranted, there are certain tricks for making the process of decluttering paper items go more smoothly.
—Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 11 Apr. 2026
The California Highway Patrol responded to the vehicle pileup at 7:34 p.m. Sunday shortly after a Honda Civic came to a stop in traffic, a Nissan Versa slammed into the Honda, and a Toyota Rav4 slammed into the Nissan.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2026
The shortage of agents has caused massive pileups at security checkpoints.
—Garrett Downs, CNBC, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pile (up)
Noun
Images online show multiple semitrucks involved in the pileup, with debris lining the roadway, fronts of vehicles smashed and at least one vehicle balanced partially off the ground.
—ABC News, 14 Apr. 2026
Declutter If there is a pileup, and decluttering sessions is warranted, there are certain tricks for making the process of decluttering paper items go more smoothly.
—Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 11 Apr. 2026
The California Highway Patrol responded to the vehicle pileup at 7:34 p.m. Sunday shortly after a Honda Civic came to a stop in traffic, a Nissan Versa slammed into the Honda, and a Toyota Rav4 slammed into the Nissan.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 31 Mar. 2026
The shortage of agents has caused massive pileups at security checkpoints.
—Garrett Downs, CNBC, 17 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pile (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pile (up)
Verb
-
Dander, fur, and dust can accumulate quickly, especially in spaces with carpeting or heavy foot traffic, where particles tend to settle and recirculate throughout the day.—
Daniel Fusch,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
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As people returned from their Earth Week effort to clear trash accumulated over the winter from Waukegan Municipal Beach on Saturday, two were lugging large rusted pieces of steel.—
Steve Sadin,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Grease accumulation was observed on the ventilation hood filters.—
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
April 24,
Sacbee.com,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Midfielder Telasco Segovia also will sit out due to yellow card accumulation.—
Michelle Kaufman
April 24,
Miami Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The result was a collection of photographs that both capture the culture and the people of Mexico and record Hurst’s particular proclivities, the food that fed his hungry eye.—
Chris Wiley,
New Yorker,
28 Apr. 2026
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Notable items from their collections include Charlotte’s Prada coat from the Spring 2023 Menswear collection and Miranda’s vintage Issey Miyake coat.—
Kailyn Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Relatives of Amal Khalil, a Lebanese journalist who officials and her employer say was killed by an Israeli airstrike yesterday, gathered in Baysariyeh in southern Lebanon this morning to mourn her loss ahead of funeral processions.—
Sean Nevin,
NBC news,
24 Apr. 2026
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The energy was high in Vancouver last night as thousands of bartenders, industry insiders, and cocktail enthusiasts gathered for the unveiling of the 2026 edition of North America’s 50 Best Bars.—
Megan Murphy,
Travel + Leisure,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Once the drone was hit by another drone, the soldiers walked over to retrieve both drones and added them to the pile of drones damaged in earlier training sessions.—
Eleanor Watson,
CBS News,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Or a big pile of unclaimed brassieres?—
Christopher Bonanos,
Curbed,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Arches and natural bridges sweep like buttresses from jumbles of rock, giving this landscape a mystical, cathedral-like quality.—
Madison Chapman,
Outside,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Macaroons are chewy jumbles of coconut bound together with egg whites and sweetened condensed milk.—
Lynda Balslev,
Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Enjoy the mixture of black, blue and yellow hues on the male.—
Sheryl DeVore,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Drizzle mixture with 1/2 cup of the General Tso’s sauce; toss to coat.—
Lizzy Briskin,
Better Homes & Gardens,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
During a time not unlike the one that ignited the historic founding of Chicano Park, thousands of people turned out Saturday at the iconic gathering space to celebrate their culture, stoke their heritage and press forward in their struggle.—
Jeff McDonald,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
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For more than three decades, Taylor Books has been a cultural anchor and community gathering spot right in the heart of the state capital.—
Kat Chen,
Condé Nast Traveler,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pile (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pile%20%28up%29. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
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