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
Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 13 Feb. 2026
Fox News Digital took photos of the nearby camps — which contain piles of junk, such as clothes, open containers, boxes, bags and trash.
—Michael Ruiz , Adriana James-Rodil, FOXNews.com, 13 Feb. 2026
Prepare to be greeted by freezing temperatures and piles of grimy snow and slush crowding the sidewalks.
—Hilary Milnes, Vogue, 10 Feb. 2026
On Amazon, the glorious inconvenience of browsing shelves or combing through piles has been eliminated.
—Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2026
Start creating piles based on your decision.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Feb. 2026
Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, alliances with various European powers shifted and forts rose, then fell into piles of matchsticks.
—Jeff Chu, Travel + Leisure, 7 Feb. 2026
That is what remains for much of the area away from the snow piles created by plows.
—Tammie Souza, CBS News, 7 Feb. 2026
The cold front is also bringing more snow to the area, adding to piles of snow that have yet to melt from last week’s major storm — the city’s biggest in five years — though accumulations are expected to be far lower.
—Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 6 Feb. 2026
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
This recipe piles them on, casting apples — which are starting to appear at farmers markets — and nuts front and center as main characters supported by a chorus of greens.
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Sep. 2025
That’s where the paperwork piles up, court fees skyrocket, and grieving families are forced into bureaucratic limbo for months — sometimes years.
—Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2025
Noun
The veteran band appeared to tease their next era this week when their official website turned into a high school rocker’s bedroom festooned with rock posters that serve as interactive previews of new songs, amid piles of CDs and a clump of dirty clothes.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 13 Feb. 2026
Fox News Digital took photos of the nearby camps — which contain piles of junk, such as clothes, open containers, boxes, bags and trash.
—Michael Ruiz , Adriana James-Rodil, FOXNews.com, 13 Feb. 2026
Prepare to be greeted by freezing temperatures and piles of grimy snow and slush crowding the sidewalks.
—Hilary Milnes, Vogue, 10 Feb. 2026
On Amazon, the glorious inconvenience of browsing shelves or combing through piles has been eliminated.
—Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2026
Start creating piles based on your decision.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 Feb. 2026
Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, alliances with various European powers shifted and forts rose, then fell into piles of matchsticks.
—Jeff Chu, Travel + Leisure, 7 Feb. 2026
That is what remains for much of the area away from the snow piles created by plows.
—Tammie Souza, CBS News, 7 Feb. 2026
The cold front is also bringing more snow to the area, adding to piles of snow that have yet to melt from last week’s major storm — the city’s biggest in five years — though accumulations are expected to be far lower.
—Muri Assunção, New York Daily News, 6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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
This recipe piles them on, casting apples — which are starting to appear at farmers markets — and nuts front and center as main characters supported by a chorus of greens.
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Sep. 2025
That’s where the paperwork piles up, court fees skyrocket, and grieving families are forced into bureaucratic limbo for months — sometimes years.
—Wyles Daniel, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for piles
Verb
-
This recipe stacks smoky sausage and hash browns on a buttery biscuit, which is finished with a tangy pepper sauce.—
Nellah Bailey McGough,
Southern Living,
31 Jan. 2026
-
At the end of lunch, the entire crew scoops their leftover food into a compost bin, and then neatly stacks their containers on top of each others.—
Aaron Couch,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The couple huddles around a gas heater inside their home with their daughter and 4-year-old granddaughter to try and stay warm.—
Kati Weis,
CBS News,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Back at the castle, where the only thing haunting them is the ghosts of slain reality stars, everybody huddles to try to figure out whether to go for Ron or Colton.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Long takes emphasize the mental labor of Hujar’s self-exploration, and Sachs’s framing (with cinematography by Alex Ashe) crowds the pair together to evoke the intimacy of their talk.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
5 Nov. 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
Cite this Entry
“Piles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piles. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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