1
as in stacking
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 crowding
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 piling
Liz Provencher, Travel + Leisure, 9 Jan. 2026
Pla2na/Getty Images When money problems start piling up and filing for bankruptcy appears to be the only option, the timing suddenly starts to matter in ways that many people don't expect.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
The Chargers are capable of pulling off an upset, but a more likely scenario has the Patriots stopping the run in the bitter cold and piling everything on the shoulders of the Chargers quarterback.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
The Bears had two 100-yard rushers on Black Friday, piling up 281 yards on the ground.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 6 Jan. 2026
Employ hooks for bags, a file organizer for papers, catch-all trays for daily essentials, and shoe racks to prevent clutter from piling up again.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Jan. 2026
During that stretch, injuries started piling up.
—Mark Anderson, Chicago Tribune, 5 Jan. 2026
Downstream, late launches miss peak consumer interest, hurting full-price sell-through and piling up excess inventory.
—Raj Dhiman, Sourcing Journal, 6 Nov. 2025
The window to stash Reed has opened with the dynamic playmaker possibly returning by the end of the month, and injuries piling up on the offensive side of the ball for Green Bay.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Nov. 2025
Verb
Instead of piling up with other tourists at beaches in major hubs like Barcelona or Marbella, do as the locals do and escape to Xàbia.
—Liz Provencher, Travel + Leisure, 9 Jan. 2026
Pla2na/Getty Images When money problems start piling up and filing for bankruptcy appears to be the only option, the timing suddenly starts to matter in ways that many people don't expect.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 8 Jan. 2026
The Chargers are capable of pulling off an upset, but a more likely scenario has the Patriots stopping the run in the bitter cold and piling everything on the shoulders of the Chargers quarterback.
—Los Angeles Times, 8 Jan. 2026
The Bears had two 100-yard rushers on Black Friday, piling up 281 yards on the ground.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 6 Jan. 2026
Employ hooks for bags, a file organizer for papers, catch-all trays for daily essentials, and shoe racks to prevent clutter from piling up again.
—Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Jan. 2026
During that stretch, injuries started piling up.
—Mark Anderson, Chicago Tribune, 5 Jan. 2026
Downstream, late launches miss peak consumer interest, hurting full-price sell-through and piling up excess inventory.
—Raj Dhiman, Sourcing Journal, 6 Nov. 2025
The window to stash Reed has opened with the dynamic playmaker possibly returning by the end of the month, and injuries piling up on the offensive side of the ball for Green Bay.
—Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for piling
Noun
-
During the day, the birds lie motionless on the ground, blending into piles of leaves and tree stumps to hide from predators.—
Marina Watts,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Each pepper is topped with a heaping pile of fontina cheese.—
Riley Wofford,
Martha Stewart,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Amass a roster in the top five in the sport, typically by stacking blue-chip recruits and developing them.—
David Ubben,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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By stacking these measurements, the researchers reconstructed a three-dimensional map of charge transport with nanoscale resolution, offering a rare look at how electrical pathways form—and break down—inside the material.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
This approach is meant to reduce crowding and prevent day-of travel surprises.—
Haadiza Ogwude,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Nov. 2025
-
That approach is meant to reduce crowding and prevent day-of-travel surprises.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Ohio State continued huddling in the second half and put together touchdown drives of 82 and 75 yards, keeping the Miami D-line at bay and allowing just one sack.—
Cameron Teague Robinson,
New York Times,
1 Jan. 2026
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Longtime residents can’t forget his iconic image of flamingos huddling in the bathroom for safety against monstrous Hurricane Andrew in August 1992.—
Howard Cohen,
Miami Herald,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Piling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piling. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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