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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of pile (up)
Roni Robbins, AJC.com, 21 Apr. 2026
Staffers also contacted the Colorado State Patrol, as the 70-car pileup happened, to alert law enforcement.
—Alan Gionet, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026
About 70 vehicles were involved in a major pileup on a section of a Colorado highway, sending eight people to the hospital, amid hazardous cold weather, authorities said.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2026
The sheriff’s office indicated that all of those earlier incidents had been cleared before the major 75-vehicle pileup unfolded nearby on I-70 eastbound near mile marker 216.
—Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pile (up)
Noun
More than a decade of tackles, blocks and pileups has taken a toll on many former professional football players, something former Atlanta Falcons lineman Phil McKinnely knows all too well.
—Roni Robbins, AJC.com, 21 Apr. 2026
Staffers also contacted the Colorado State Patrol, as the 70-car pileup happened, to alert law enforcement.
—Alan Gionet, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026
About 70 vehicles were involved in a major pileup on a section of a Colorado highway, sending eight people to the hospital, amid hazardous cold weather, authorities said.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2026
The sheriff’s office indicated that all of those earlier incidents had been cleared before the major 75-vehicle pileup unfolded nearby on I-70 eastbound near mile marker 216.
—Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pile (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pile (up)
Verb
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Armed with Hellfire missiles, rockets, and a 30 mm chain gun, the Apache has accumulated millions of flight hours across conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, and Syria.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
8 June 2026
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Her sentences are somewhat flat in tone, but the excitement comes from the acuity in her observations, which accumulate over pages to assemble a full, clear picture.—
Zinzi Clemmons,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
Noun
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Without that, faster shipping just means faster accumulation of code nobody has actually owned.—
Scott Breitenother,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
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Seeing the accumulation of other people’s innermost desires in the trees — and given that the wishes are uncovered — lends the work an openness and accessibility that can be therapeutic, Loyer said.—
Deborah Vankin,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
Verb
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After gathering digital evidence, conducting witness interviews and executing search warrants, investigators obtained and served an arrest warrant Tuesday for the Yuba City man, according to a department statement.—
Reeti Malhotra,
Sacbee.com,
12 June 2026
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Fans young and old gathered under the KC Live canopy Thursday to watch as Mexico beat South Africa 2-0.—
Eleanor Nash,
Kansas City Star,
12 June 2026
Noun
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Worked on by architect Julia Morgan for nearly 30 years, the estate, which was never officially finished, includes 165 rooms and 123 acres of gardens, terraces, pools and walkways, where Hearst displayed his impressive art collection.—
Alia Beard Rau,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
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The dreamlike, disturbing stories in this collection by Egyptian writer Makhzangi take place in settings ranging from Egypt toa India to Vietnam to Iraq, often at moments of violent conflict.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
Noun
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If some, over that last 78 years, were able to look away before, where can one look now when rubble piles up in every direction?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
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America’s emergency pile of crude, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, is rapidly heading toward the lowest level since the early 1980s.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
Noun
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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
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Macaroons are chewy jumbles of coconut bound together with egg whites and sweetened condensed milk.—
Lynda Balslev,
Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The scientists demonstrated that tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) spontaneously formed when mixtures of purified coat protein and its genomic RNA were incubated together.—
Scott Lafee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 June 2026
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Transfer spinach to the bowl with the egg mixture and whisk thoroughly to combine.—
Kate Williams,
AJC.com,
8 June 2026
Noun
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The scenes echoed earlier playoff celebrations, including a massive watch-party gathering of roughly 7,000 people in Bryant Park during Game 2 that turned violent and destructive, according to a law enforcement official.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
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Unvaccinated people who may have been exposed are urged to quarantine, avoid large gatherings and watch for fever, cough, rash or red eyes for up to three weeks.—
Connor Sheets,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pile (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pile%20%28up%29. Accessed 15 Jun. 2026.
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