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
Relevance
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
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)
Christian Orozco, NBC news, 8 Oct. 2025
Instead, the generic ‘90s throwback action movie plays like a string of car-crash pileups and urban destruction with little of interest in terms of the human element.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2025
As time went on, their pileup of vintage finds—1940s wrought iron chairs, garden urns, Hollywood-style regency stools, Royere-style iron armchairs, and more—overwhelmed their warehouse in Brooklyn.
—Sydney Gore, Architectural Digest, 29 Sep. 2025
The reason for this pileup of homes on the Florida market is that many buyers in the state can no longer afford the properties for sale.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pile (up)
Noun
The Louisiana State Police published new video from the deadly pileup involving LSU wide receiver Kyren Lacy, defending its investigation after Lacy's lawyer claimed to have new evidence allegedly exonerating the late college football star.
—Christian Orozco, NBC news, 8 Oct. 2025
Instead, the generic ‘90s throwback action movie plays like a string of car-crash pileups and urban destruction with little of interest in terms of the human element.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2025
As time went on, their pileup of vintage finds—1940s wrought iron chairs, garden urns, Hollywood-style regency stools, Royere-style iron armchairs, and more—overwhelmed their warehouse in Brooklyn.
—Sydney Gore, Architectural Digest, 29 Sep. 2025
The reason for this pileup of homes on the Florida market is that many buyers in the state can no longer afford the properties for sale.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pile (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pile (up)
Verb
-
When exposure occurs through food or drinking water, cesium-137 can accumulate in the body and increase the risk of cancer due to its DNA-damaging properties.—
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
-
When nesting under your porch or deck or in a crawlspace, chimney, or attic, raccoon waste will accumulate and cause odors.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The team also found that APOE4 astrocytes promoted the accumulation of amyloid and tau proteins linked to Alzheimer’s, and that this effect depended on their interaction with microglia, the brain’s immune cells.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Non-food-contact surfaces have accumulation of soil (cook line shelves and equipment have an accumulation of soil).—
Gege Reed,
Louisville Courier Journal,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Employees moved about, pulling items for upcoming projects or consulting Airtable, a software program that Saft uses to catalogue Staged to Sell’s collection.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
20 Oct. 2025
-
One of the most lavish items in the collection actually survived the heist, though it was reportedly damaged when the thieves were interrupted by guards and dropped the piece to flee.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Just three minutes later, Schneider’s shot-on-goal was deflected by a Canton defender toward the strong-side post, which Handwerk gathered and finished off for the insurance goal.—
Tom Mulherin,
Boston Herald,
17 Oct. 2025
-
About two dozen people gathered at the town council meeting on October 16 to voice concern and distress about drinking, bathing in or washing their clothes in the yellow, brown water as the public comment period stretched over an hour.—
Sophie Hartley,
IndyStar,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
This cozy robe is crafted from ultra-soft, high-pile fleece material and is available in 14 different colors.—
Jessie Quinn,
StyleCaster,
22 Oct. 2025
-
The trick was just finding that next pile of exorbitant wealth and luring it in with our siren song of cultural relevance and creative ambition.—
John Lopez,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Ray’s most chaotic photograms—jumbles that push out of the frame or look like time bombs ready to explode—find echoes in his films, projected on the back walls, a show in themselves.—
Vince Aletti,
New Yorker,
3 Oct. 2025
-
In jumbles of old stones that, to me, are barely legible as the remains of buildings, Cocon López could see the entire timeline of old Aké and how later people interacted with and repurposed what came before.—
Lizzie Wade,
Smithsonian Magazine,
23 May 2025
Noun
-
Vandal Palma, takes an international approach to its menu, resulting in creative mixtures like a ceviche in a crisp, edible cone with coconut foam inspired by Thai and Peruvian flavors (€7).—
Emilio Parra Doiztua,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Toss everything together in the cooker and cook on LOW until the mixture is bubbly, 2 to 3 hours.—
Ann Taylor Pittman,
Southern Living,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Could only participate, if surreptitiously, in this long-overdue cumulation.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pile (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pile%20%28up%29. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share