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pile (up) 1 of 2

verb

Definition of pile (up)next
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

pileup

2 of 2

noun

ˈpī(-ə)l-ˌəp How to pronounce pileup (audio)
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 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 pile (up)
Noun
The California rapper-producer’s new album sifts through an eclectic pileup of influences with X-ray vision, exposing his artistic process and still keeping it breezy. — Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 29 July 2026 But the pileup of injuries — and the uncertainty surrounding Aaron Judge’s injury timeline — convinced us to keep them in Tier 2. — Tim Britton, New York Times, 27 July 2026 The massive pileup happened Sunday after a tractor-trailer crashed into multiple vehicles on a highway in the western state of Jalisco, according to the Secretariat of Security and Citizen Protection of Nayarit. — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 13 July 2026 If this is food-history whiplash, bring on the 17-car pileup. — Scott Hocker, TheWeek, 9 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for pile (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pile (up)
  1. accumulate
  2. accumulation
  3. gather
  4. collection
  5. pile
  6. jumble
  7. mixture
  8. gathering
Verb
  • Hassouna and co-editor Denis LePaven pace the chronological patchwork of footage less as a story with a predestined shape, and more as shifting tiles of accumulating losses that the audience can traverse without being too overwhelmed.
    — Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2026
  • The forces of destruction accumulated through the Second World War.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of accumulate
Noun
  • The creator-dynamics research explicitly models this relationship between platform exposure and follower accumulation, which gives platforms an unusual position in influencer marketing.
    — Sergi Cerrato, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
  • The power of these shows didn’t come from constant intensity but from duration, repetition, and consequences that compounded across seasons, allowing meaning to emerge gradually through accumulation.
    — Henry Metz, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of accumulation
Verb
  • Every autumn, as the bay freezes, hundreds of these bears gather around it before heading out across the ice, and thousands of tourists come to see them.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 6 Sep. 2026
  • As my family gathered at my younger brother's apartment in downtown Philadelphia the next day, the mood was deeply heavy.
    — Laurel Dalrymple, NPR, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of gather
Noun
  • In my ideal world there would be dozens of essay collections by excellent writers (Choi is a poet) on culture and politics, technology and the evils of capitalism.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 17 Sep. 2026
  • The hotel lists accessible facilities and has lifts, but its collection of interconnected historic buildings creates changes in level, and some rooms contain internal stairs.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of collection
Noun
  • Chicago police recovered a black 9 mm semiautomatic handgun at the apartment in a pile of Plummer’s clothes.
    — Allison Kiehl, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Around them stand darkened houses, and uncollected trash piles up on the street.
    — Will Freeman, Foreign Affairs, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of pile
Noun
  • 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
  • Macaroons are chewy jumbles of coconut bound together with egg whites and sweetened condensed milk.
    — Lynda Balslev, Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2026
Definition of jumble
Noun
  • Sprinkle with the seasoning mixture and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and gently toss to coat the fish.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Sprinkle the garlic mixture over the pork, then use a wooden spoon to break up the meat and stir the seasonings into it.
    — Kate Williams, AJC.com, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of mixture
Noun
  • However, the event was targeted on social media by accounts like Libs of TikTok, which characterized the gathering as a drag show meant to groom children while funding undocumented immigrants.
    — Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 15 Sep. 2026
  • But the gathering took on new meaning in the revelation's wake, as much of Washington scrambles to come to terms with a technology that has evolved rapidly and for which little regulation exists.
    — Justin Papp, CNBC, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of gathering

Browse Nearby Words

piles (up)
pile (up)
pileup
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Cite this Entry

“Pile (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pile%20%28up%29. Accessed 20 Sep. 2026.

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