pile (up) 1 of 2

Definition of pile (up)next
as in to accumulate
to gradually form into a layer, pile, or mass snow piling up in the driveway at a rapid pace

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

pileup

2 of 2

noun

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pile (up)
Noun
There’s a palpable fear that her smashmouth attack style won’t work, and his collaborative politics might, in a red state where a Republican primary pileup has given Democrats a rare opening. David Weigel, semafor.com, 2 Mar. 2026 Spring wind events can produce sudden dust storms that reduce visibility to near zero, leading to deadly highway pileups. Doyle Rice, USA Today, 1 Mar. 2026 In June 2024, undocumented Indian national Partap Singh was arrested for causing a multi-car pileup while driving a commercial 18-wheeler. Kate Nishimura, Sourcing Journal, 25 Feb. 2026 The pileup on Interstate 25 south of Pueblo, Colorado, involved over 30 vehicles and occurred after winds gusted up to 61 mph. Amanda Musa, CNN Money, 18 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for pile (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pile (up)
Verb
  • The gaps between cushions These high-touch and hidden areas accumulate dust, crumbs and body oils that regular surface cleaning won’t reach.
    Lauren Jarvis-Gibson, Kansas City Star, 6 Apr. 2026
  • The accumulating studies on individual systems suggest that plants and their fungi cannot be understood separately.
    Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 6 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Adept at separating the unseen from the seen, Lemann here chronicles his family’s accumulation of wealth, whatever the moral costs or compromises, and their subsequent acculturation and partial deracination.
    Brenda Wineapple, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
  • The fan guards inside the walk-in cooler had an accumulation of dust.
    Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado April 3, Sacbee.com, 3 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Both people who live in Kansas City and people who work in Kansas City currently pay 1% of their income into the city’s general fund, which funds 45% of the city’s general budget and pays for services like trash collection, fire services and affordable housing programs.
    The Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 8 Apr. 2026
  • But even the most stylish people have, at times, found themselves with nothing to wear, and such an experience actually influenced a standout piece in Ashtin's Dolls Kill collection.
    Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 7 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • In Broadview, a few dozen gathered to commemorate the ritual outside alongside detainees.
    Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 3 Apr. 2026
  • Ali, who wasn’t formally charged, called his family to say that he would be released on bail, and asked them to gather the funds and collect him from prison.
    Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • The piles of dishes in the sink.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Apr. 2026
  • Spring is a time for renewal, and that includes refreshing your ‘to be read’ pile.
    Theara Coleman, TheWeek, 7 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
  • The job of transit ambassador entails a mixture of responsibilities not necessarily implied by the name.
    Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 7 Apr. 2026
  • In a large bowl stir together the warm water, yeast, and sugar; let stand until mixture is foamy, 5 minutes.
    Emily Teel, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Need a last-minute ingredient for your Easter gathering?
    Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2026
  • This arsenal enables a broad mission set covering anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, land strikes, intelligence gathering, surveillance, reconnaissance, mine warfare, and support for special operations forces.
    Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 4 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Pile (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pile%20%28up%29. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.

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