piles 1 of 3

plural of pile
1
2
as in loads
a considerable amount a job that paid piles of money

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

piles

2 of 3

noun (2)

plural of pile
1
as in furs
a soft airy substance or covering the lush pile of the carpeting

Synonyms & Similar Words

2
as in wools
the hairy covering of a mammal especially when fine, soft, and thick a dog with such a dense pile that he never minded the cold

Synonyms & Similar Words

piles

3 of 3

verb

present tense third-person singular of pile

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 piles
Noun
According to the press statement, the project is anchored by over 400,000 structural steel piles manufactured by PACO Steel, using 142,000 tons of steel coils from US Steel’s nearby Big River facility. Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 16 July 2026 On the night before a big operation, Uncle Rich reminisces with the crew about his first and only incarceration years earlier, for stealing piles of newspapers. David Hajdu, The Atlantic, 16 July 2026 Burke piles fascinating shuffling sounds on top, invoking a quiet scuffle, maybe some cardboard boxes being knocked over in a storage space. Jayson Greene, Pitchfork, 14 July 2026 Investigators discovered burn piles on family property, and an anthropologist confirmed there were human remains in the burn piles, WBRC previously reported. Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 14 July 2026 Keep the area around your home free from debris, such as leaf piles, mulch, and grass clippings. Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 July 2026 Move stacks of firewood and piles of sticks and twigs at least 20 feet from your home. Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 9 July 2026 Whether Spatial surrounds its reggae-toasting host with piles of drums, disorienting electronic beats, or locomotive rock music, Scratch abides as crooner, barker, mystic, meditation coach — whatever the moment requires. Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 8 July 2026 Where critics see disgusting piles of stuff, hoarders see more. Shivali H. Patra, Mercury News, 8 July 2026
Verb
Instead of asking whether existing programs are delivering results, Congress piles new spending and new funding streams onto an already fragmented system. Andy Harris, Baltimore Sun, 4 July 2026 The dirty laundry never piles up, nor does the ready-to-fold pile. Tessa Cooper, The Spruce, 30 June 2026 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 Blackwood’s absence piles it on with several layers of awful. Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 4 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for piles
Noun
  • There’s little high-quality evidence that most unapproved peptide stacks work as advertised.
    Jenna Anderson, Health, 13 July 2026
  • Clutter From stacks of cookbooks to endless countertop décor, too much of anything can make a kitchen feel chaotic.
    Angelika Pokovba, Martha Stewart, 12 July 2026
Noun
  • Transformers require specialized vehicles and heavy-duty trailers capable of carrying oversized loads.
    Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 18 July 2026
  • Flawless routines and loads of amenities were once seen as the ultimate pillars of hospitality.
    Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 17 July 2026
Noun
  • In others, background actors adjust their chain mail and faux furs and clutch prop weapons, some of which are designed to explode and splatter blood on impact.
    Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 13 July 2026
  • 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
Noun
  • Han works with Japanese fabrics, Irish linens and Scottish wools to create simple, understated and versatile silhouettes, with everything made in small factories in London.
    Alex Wynne, Footwear News, 2 July 2026
  • 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
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
  • Why to Fertilize Petunias Petunias are fast-growing plants that produce mounds of foliage and abundant blooms.
    Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 July 2026
  • Holston specifically recommends everbearing alpine varieties, which grow in small mounds and take up less space.
    Samantha Johnson, Martha Stewart, 12 July 2026
Noun
  • The largest, the Koda Suite (named for Leo’s dog), which was once occupied by the Daunt family, is a terrific family option, with two rooms, two bathrooms, tons of space, and its own private pool entrance.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 July 2026
  • Over several decades, hundreds and hundreds of tons — hundreds of thousands of gallons — of acid waste from the pesticide DDT and even DDT itself were dumped into the ocean off the Palos Verdes Peninsula and near Catalina Island.
    Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026
Noun
  • Instead, opt for neutral coats of paint, warm lightening schemes, and functional storage.
    Ashley Chalmers, The Spruce, 20 July 2026
  • Bieber's nails were her preferred length and shape—medium almonds—and painted with a few coats of a creamy sky blue polish with a lilac-y undertone.
    Kara Nesvig, Allure, 20 July 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Piles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piles. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on piles

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster