1
as in stacks
a quantity of things thrown or stacked on one another
a large pile of newspapers that needed to be disposed of
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in loads
a considerable amount
a job that paid piles of money
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in heaps
to lay or throw on top of one another
piled all the clothes on the chair before putting them away
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in huddles
to gather into a closely packed group
the kids piled into the car
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of piles
Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 9 May 2026
Both residents and tourists cruise around on single-speed bikes, parking them in haphazard piles to shop in luxury boutiques, visit the famous Sunday market for clothing and home goods, or grab a cappuccino in a glitzy café.
—Rebecca Rose, Travel + Leisure, 9 May 2026
Speight recommends removing piles of brush around your home's foundation and keeping grass cut low.
—Samantha Johnson, Martha Stewart, 9 May 2026
Coming home after a long day should feel relaxing — but that’s not always possible if you’re greeted by piles of shoes and have no space to hang your coat.
—Rachel Trujillo, PEOPLE, 9 May 2026
Look for small round holes, sawdust piles, and sticky yellow stains near wooden structures to spot an infestation.
—Asia London Palomba, The Spruce, 9 May 2026
The singer unveiled the song alongside a black-and-white video showcasing her roaming city streets and smoking next to giant piles of cigarettes.
—Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 8 May 2026
More than 7,000 of them remain, ranging from unremarkable piles of rocks to complex towers, each one carefully documented on an interactive online map.
—IEEE Spectrum, 7 May 2026
For example, squirrels will bury and dig up nuts in the lawn and mulched beds, while chipmunks tend to make holes near stumps, buildings and brush piles.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 6 May 2026
Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Apr. 2026
The result piles more pressure on Starmer, the least popular prime minister since records began, according to some polls.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 27 Feb. 2026
But when snow piles up in powdery white masses, Arizonans can't resist the opportunity to play in it.
—Michael Salerno, AZCentral.com, 19 Feb. 2026
His intervention piles fresh pressure on the prime minister.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 9 Feb. 2026
But the cleanups did remove the garbage that piles up along the San Juan, robbing the gillagers of a reliable source of income.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
These outdoor hangout spots don't get much use during the winter, but snow still piles up on decks during winter storms.
—Lee Wallender, The Spruce, 8 Jan. 2026
Blackwood’s absence piles it on with several layers of awful.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 4 Jan. 2026
Then Carol piles everything on her plate into a rough slice of avocado toast, mashing them together in an improvised layer.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2025
Noun
At Crandon Park Beach, a crew shooting an ad for Bush’s Baked Beans adjusted their camera angles to crop the piles of seaweed out of the frame.
—Ashley Miznazi, Miami Herald, 9 May 2026
Both residents and tourists cruise around on single-speed bikes, parking them in haphazard piles to shop in luxury boutiques, visit the famous Sunday market for clothing and home goods, or grab a cappuccino in a glitzy café.
—Rebecca Rose, Travel + Leisure, 9 May 2026
Speight recommends removing piles of brush around your home's foundation and keeping grass cut low.
—Samantha Johnson, Martha Stewart, 9 May 2026
Coming home after a long day should feel relaxing — but that’s not always possible if you’re greeted by piles of shoes and have no space to hang your coat.
—Rachel Trujillo, PEOPLE, 9 May 2026
Look for small round holes, sawdust piles, and sticky yellow stains near wooden structures to spot an infestation.
—Asia London Palomba, The Spruce, 9 May 2026
The singer unveiled the song alongside a black-and-white video showcasing her roaming city streets and smoking next to giant piles of cigarettes.
—Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 8 May 2026
More than 7,000 of them remain, ranging from unremarkable piles of rocks to complex towers, each one carefully documented on an interactive online map.
—IEEE Spectrum, 7 May 2026
For example, squirrels will bury and dig up nuts in the lawn and mulched beds, while chipmunks tend to make holes near stumps, buildings and brush piles.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 6 May 2026
Verb
More specifically — and without spoiling a story that piles the twists as high as the corpses — Pine's an ex-British soldier pulled from his porter duties and recruited to surveil a ruthless arms dealer, Richard Roper (Hugh Laurie) staying at the hotel.
—Matt Cabral, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Apr. 2026
The result piles more pressure on Starmer, the least popular prime minister since records began, according to some polls.
—Alexander Smith, NBC news, 27 Feb. 2026
But when snow piles up in powdery white masses, Arizonans can't resist the opportunity to play in it.
—Michael Salerno, AZCentral.com, 19 Feb. 2026
His intervention piles fresh pressure on the prime minister.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 9 Feb. 2026
But the cleanups did remove the garbage that piles up along the San Juan, robbing the gillagers of a reliable source of income.
—Sean Williams, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
These outdoor hangout spots don't get much use during the winter, but snow still piles up on decks during winter storms.
—Lee Wallender, The Spruce, 8 Jan. 2026
Blackwood’s absence piles it on with several layers of awful.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 4 Jan. 2026
Then Carol piles everything on her plate into a rough slice of avocado toast, mashing them together in an improvised layer.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 5 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for piles
Verb
-
The side table unfolds into six stools for gatherings, then neatly stacks back together into a stylish end piece.—
Mariana Best,
Better Homes & Gardens,
26 Apr. 2026
-
At home, Jonathan Wright, director of the Indianapolis art museum's park and gardens, stuffs in the plants, stacks the pots, and lets everything grow.—
Teresa Woodard,
Midwest Living,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The boiler is broken, so Kuhner huddles by a small space heater in his office in the winter.—
Emma Green,
New Yorker,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Tinos huddles close to its much more popular cousin, Mykonos, just a 20-minute ferry ride away.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The presentation is muddied a bit by the strong bass and lack of stereo separation, which crowds the lower registers (something that’s not helped by the recording's acoustics).—
Mark Knapp,
PC Magazine,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Filming in front of real audiences, alongside real racers and real pit crews, the director crowds the screen with people.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
13 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Fatemian simply bunches each slice slightly, creating a ruffled, flower-like radish slice that is then inserted between the rest of the vegetables.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
6 Sep. 2025
-
The radiation bunches up the electrons, leading to their amplifying only a specific wavelength, creating a laser beam.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
10 June 2024
Cite this Entry
“Piles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piles. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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