piling (up)

verb

Definition of piling (up)next
present participle of pile (up)
as in accumulating
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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for piling (up)
  1. accumulating
  2. gathering
  3. building up
Verb
  • The researchers tested approximately 1,300 configurations of the electrical signals used to communicate with the neurons, accumulating more than 4,000 hours of real-time interaction across dozens of biological computing units.
    — Mike McRae October 19, New Atlas, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Archer’s announcement notes that Midnight flew as fast as 131mph during this campaign, accumulating more than 200 flight miles over three days.
    — Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of accumulating
Verb
  • Think of your home as a simulated work environment in which everyday chores — like unloading the dishwasher or gathering ingredients for a meal – are a chance to learn.
    — John Gill, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Judging by the steady lunch crowd gathering inside the new La Fetta space on its second day open, maybe another location was the right decision after all.
    — Katelyn Umholtz, Kansas City Star, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of gathering
Verb
  • China is building up its military and AI capabilities despite limited access to advanced computer chips.
    — Josh Boak, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Boone said the final few steps for Judge’s return include building up his workload because he has been sidelined for over three months with a stress fracture of the first rib on his right side.
    — Chris Kirschner, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of building up
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.

Browse Nearby Words

pilings
piling (up)
pill
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Piling (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/piling%20%28up%29. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of puissant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 23

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All