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
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
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Recent Examples of pile (up)
Roni Robbins, AJC.com, 21 Apr. 2026
Staffers also contacted the Colorado State Patrol, as the 70-car pileup happened, to alert law enforcement.
—Alan Gionet, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026
About 70 vehicles were involved in a major pileup on a section of a Colorado highway, sending eight people to the hospital, amid hazardous cold weather, authorities said.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2026
The sheriff’s office indicated that all of those earlier incidents had been cleared before the major 75-vehicle pileup unfolded nearby on I-70 eastbound near mile marker 216.
—Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pile (up)
Noun
More than a decade of tackles, blocks and pileups has taken a toll on many former professional football players, something former Atlanta Falcons lineman Phil McKinnely knows all too well.
—Roni Robbins, AJC.com, 21 Apr. 2026
Staffers also contacted the Colorado State Patrol, as the 70-car pileup happened, to alert law enforcement.
—Alan Gionet, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026
About 70 vehicles were involved in a major pileup on a section of a Colorado highway, sending eight people to the hospital, amid hazardous cold weather, authorities said.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2026
The sheriff’s office indicated that all of those earlier incidents had been cleared before the major 75-vehicle pileup unfolded nearby on I-70 eastbound near mile marker 216.
—Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pile (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pile (up)
Verb
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Armed with Hellfire missiles, rockets, and a 30 mm chain gun, the Apache has accumulated millions of flight hours across conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, and Syria.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
8 June 2026
-
Her sentences are somewhat flat in tone, but the excitement comes from the acuity in her observations, which accumulate over pages to assemble a full, clear picture.—
Zinzi Clemmons,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
Noun
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The Great Disconnect This is the age of massive financial accumulation, but the quality of that accumulation is changing.—
Nitin Gupta,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
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Shange’s rainbow assemblage manages to be confrontational and conciliatory through a confessional accumulation that collapses poetry, movement, and ritual into a single and ever-changing event.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 May 2026
Verb
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The intelligence-gathering site became another means by which Israel could collect information on Iranian military movements and facilities, as well as potentially providing early warning of missile launches.—
Tal Shalev,
CNN Money,
5 June 2026
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Team projects and daily systems ask for tweaks as information-gathering Mercury engages your 11th House of Friends, while intense Pluto focuses your 6th House of Work.—
PubSubHub User,
Baltimore Sun,
4 June 2026
Noun
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Worked on by architect Julia Morgan for nearly 30 years, the estate, which was never officially finished, includes 165 rooms and 123 acres of gardens, terraces, pools and walkways, where Hearst displayed his impressive art collection.—
Alia Beard Rau,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
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The dreamlike, disturbing stories in this collection by Egyptian writer Makhzangi take place in settings ranging from Egypt toa India to Vietnam to Iraq, often at moments of violent conflict.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
Noun
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If some, over that last 78 years, were able to look away before, where can one look now when rubble piles up in every direction?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 June 2026
-
America’s emergency pile of crude, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, is rapidly heading toward the lowest level since the early 1980s.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
Noun
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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
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Macaroons are chewy jumbles of coconut bound together with egg whites and sweetened condensed milk.—
Lynda Balslev,
Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The scientists demonstrated that tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) spontaneously formed when mixtures of purified coat protein and its genomic RNA were incubated together.—
Scott Lafee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
9 June 2026
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Transfer spinach to the bowl with the egg mixture and whisk thoroughly to combine.—
Kate Williams,
AJC.com,
8 June 2026
Noun
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What began as a small custard shack on West Thomas Street grew into a gathering place where generations of locals have celebrated little victories, cooled off after long days, and made memories over a delicious dessert.—
Symiah Dorsey,
Southern Living,
6 June 2026
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To further expand the square footage, there are a variety of patio options—choose from a ground-floor terrace or an expansive roof deck, which would allow plenty of space for summer movie screenings, cookouts, and more warm-weather gatherings.—
Sophie Dodd,
Travel + Leisure,
6 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pile (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pile%20%28up%29. Accessed 12 Jun. 2026.
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