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
ABC News, 4 June 2026
Garbage piles now choke nearly every Havana street corner, filling neighborhoods with stench, flies and rats as residents navigate improvised dumps outside homes, hospitals and busy thoroughfares.
—Andrea Rodríguez, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026
The firm will continue to place piles for the project until the end of the year.
—Bryan P. Sears, Baltimore Sun, 3 June 2026
Though the worst has not come to pass, Moscow’s decision — driven by domestic shortfalls caused by Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries — piles further pressure on the sector.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 2 June 2026
Fallen fruit, bird feeders, and messy compost piles are all enticing to rodents.
—Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 1 June 2026
The project also includes installing sheet piles around bridge piers and constructing a new bicycle path.
—Conor McGill, CBS News, 31 May 2026
Rodent holes, brush piles, firewood, timbers, dense undergrowth, and leaf piles can also attract wasps in search of a place to nest.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 29 May 2026
Knisley has worked with communities where coal ash was used to fill children’s ball fields and seen Tennessee Valley Authority waste piles of the toxic ash piled up behind a public playground, open to the wind.
—ArsTechnica, 29 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
In the city center and on the outskirts, cars, bicycles and pedestrians weave around the trash piles.
—ABC News, 4 June 2026
Garbage piles now choke nearly every Havana street corner, filling neighborhoods with stench, flies and rats as residents navigate improvised dumps outside homes, hospitals and busy thoroughfares.
—Andrea Rodríguez, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2026
The firm will continue to place piles for the project until the end of the year.
—Bryan P. Sears, Baltimore Sun, 3 June 2026
Though the worst has not come to pass, Moscow’s decision — driven by domestic shortfalls caused by Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries — piles further pressure on the sector.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 2 June 2026
Fallen fruit, bird feeders, and messy compost piles are all enticing to rodents.
—Michelle Mastro, Martha Stewart, 1 June 2026
The project also includes installing sheet piles around bridge piers and constructing a new bicycle path.
—Conor McGill, CBS News, 31 May 2026
Rodent holes, brush piles, firewood, timbers, dense undergrowth, and leaf piles can also attract wasps in search of a place to nest.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 29 May 2026
Knisley has worked with communities where coal ash was used to fill children’s ball fields and seen Tennessee Valley Authority waste piles of the toxic ash piled up behind a public playground, open to the wind.
—ArsTechnica, 29 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
Noun
-
Inside, investigators discovered guns, knives, and stacks of cash.—
Heidi Blake,
New Yorker,
8 June 2026
-
As tech stacks grow and the online landscape keeps changing, business owners are looking for ways to protect their digital assets and workflows with effective tools that can scale with their business ambitions.—
Wyles Daniel,
USA Today,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
This means that a small engine can handle immense power loads without generating wasteful heat.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
3 June 2026
-
Romance, steamy chemistry, and loads of pettiness — these are the staples of Love Island USA.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
The attractive, mid-30s crowd seemed to be a mix of friends and couples donning beards, tattoos, red lips, and furs worn with sneakers.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
4 June 2026
-
No one wanted to stand behind the commanding warriors, draped in blankets and furs, brass hoops in their earlobes, medals and wampum on their strong chests, silver armbands glinting in the light.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 May 2026
Noun
-
Although the word cashmere is sometimes incorrectly applied to extremely soft wools, only the product of the cashmere goat is true cashmere.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Raising the bar on fabric research, Moorer paired technical wools or cotton chenille with silk, and introduced the rare and naturally soft yak fiber to the outerwear range.—
Martino Carrera,
Footwear News,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
An engineer overhears a sales call where a partner is requesting a specific feature and immediately huddles with the salesperson once the line clicks shut.—
Vikram Joshi,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
-
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
Noun
-
Following the rescue, photos shared by the agency show mounds of garbage lining the floor where the chute was located.—
Sam Gillette,
PEOPLE,
8 June 2026
-
Nearby, Gloria Amposah was barely visible among mounds of women’s tops and dresses from the Netherlands.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Footwear News,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
In March, Swiss food producer Nestlé told USA TODAY that thieves stole an entire truck containing more than 12 tons of KitKat chocolate bars in Europe.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
9 June 2026
-
With its brilliant white surface reflecting the searing Spanish sun, the cross that crowns the Tower of Jesus Christ (the other 17 towers are dedicated to the 12 apostles, four Evangelists and the Virgin Mary) is as tall as a five-story building and weighs around 100 tons.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
Neary’s belongings including fur coats, furniture and jewelry were auctioned later that month, with officials charged admission of 50 cents to prevent overcrowding of the apartment.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
2 June 2026
-
Next, apply two coats of white nail polish, letting each layer dry completely.—
Elle Turner,
Glamour,
31 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Piles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piles. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.
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