pile

1 of 6

noun (1)

ˈpī(-ə)l 

1

: a long slender column usually of timber, steel, or reinforced concrete driven into the ground to carry a vertical load

2

: a wedge-shaped heraldic charge usually placed vertically with the broad end up

3

a

: a target-shooting arrowhead without cutting edges

b

[Latin pilum] : an ancient Roman foot soldier's heavy javelin

pile

2 of 6

verb (1)

piled; piling

transitive verb

: to drive piles into

pile

3 of 6

verb (2)

piled; piling

transitive verb

1

: to lay or place in a pile : stack

2

a

: to heap in abundance : load

piled potatoes on his plate

b

: to collect little by little into a mass

—usually used with up

intransitive verb

1

: to form a pile or accumulation

—usually used with up

2

: to move or press forward in or as if in a mass : crowd

piled into a car

pile

4 of 6

noun (2)

1

a(1)

: a quantity of things heaped together

(2)

: a heap of wood for burning a corpse or a sacrifice

b

: any great number or quantity : lot

2

: a large building or group of buildings

3

: a great amount of money : fortune

4

: reactor sense 3b

pile

5 of 6

noun (3)

1

: a coat or surface of usually short close fine furry hairs

2

: a velvety surface produced by an extra set of filling yarns that form raised loops which are cut and sheared

pileless

ˈpī(-ə)l-ləs 

adjective

pile

6 of 6

noun (4)

1

: a single hemorrhoid

2

piles plural : hemorrhoids

Synonyms

Verb (2)

• heap
• mound
• stack

Noun (2)

• cock
• heap
• hill
• mound
• mountain
• stack

Noun (3)

• down
• floss
• fluff
• fur
• fuzz
• lint
• nap

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

With the pellet facility offline, even more solid waste began to pile up in key parts of the wastewater treatment process at Back River. —Christine Condon, Baltimore Sun, 15 Mar. 2023

Early chunks of the grass mats may start arriving in South Florida in the coming weeks, but the belt is so long the mats are expected to pile up and waft their stench over local beaches through October. —Bill Kearney, Sun Sentinel, 14 Mar. 2023

As reports of near-miss incidents at U.S. airports pile up early into 2023, the Federal Aviation Administration is set to hold a summit next week to assess safety risks for travelers. —Rob Wile, NBC News, 11 Mar. 2023

That's when Simpson scored the quick three points to put Rutgers up, 43-39, when the U-M misses started to pile up. —Tony Garcia, Detroit Free Press, 9 Mar. 2023

The wins continue to pile up, and the end goal is growing closer for the Giants. —Rich Torres, The Indianapolis Star, 5 Mar. 2023

Toast a slice of your favorite bread and pile the chickpeas on top. —Cassie Shortsleeve, Health, 27 Feb. 2023

More than 18 inches may pile up in parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin, the National Weather Service said Wednesday evening. —CBS News, 23 Feb. 2023

No warmup was forecast this week, though, in the northern U.S. More than 18 inches (46 centimeters) may pile up in parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin, the National Weather Service said Wednesday evening. —Amancai Biraben, Fortune, 23 Feb. 2023

Noun

Curious, the brothers followed her and discovered a single tiny puppy safely hidden in a pile of logs. —Margaret Osborne, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Feb. 2023

Copeland, who was hiding in a pile of clothes, shot Michalski in the head. —Christopher Kuhagen, Journal Sentinel, 7 Feb. 2023

Here are some of the best places to sink your hands in a pile of spicy mudbugs. —Emma Balter, Chron, 6 Feb. 2023

In this bedroom, the pillows are stacked flat in a pile and then blocked by two large euro shams with custom monograms. —Angela Belt, House Beautiful, 23 Jan. 2023

The pummelings that regularly left Beetle in a pile of squiggly lines are gone. —cleveland, 14 Jan. 2023

Torres said on Twitter that the document was probably found in a pile along with others intended for shredding, and that it was leaked out of context feed false narratives aimed at discrediting him. —David Biller And Carla Bridi, Anchorage Daily News, 14 Jan. 2023

Torres said on Twitter that the document was probably found in a pile along with others intended for shredding, and that it was leaked out of context feed false narratives aimed at discrediting him. —David Biller, BostonGlobe.com, 14 Jan. 2023

While attempting to prevent the snowplow from rolling further, Renner failed to jump inside the vehicle, which then ran him over before coming to a stop in a pile of snow. —Christi Carrasstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 5 Jan. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, dart, quill, pole driven into the ground, from Old English pīl, from Latin pilum javelin

Verb (2)

Middle English, from pile entry 4

Noun (2)

Middle English pier of a bridge, stack, heap, from Middle French pille pier of a bridge, from Latin pila pillar

Noun (3)

Middle English, in plural piles "hair, plumage," borrowed from Anglo-French peil, pil "hair, coat of animal hair, cloth with thick nap" (continental Old French peil, poil "hair"), going back to Latin pilus "hair," of obscure origin

Note: Anglo-French pil for peil, apparently yielding long i in Middle English, is exceptional. The Oxford English Dictionary, third edition, proposes that the word is "partly" borrowed directly from Latin. Middle English Dictionary suggests borrowing from Middle Dutch pijl.

Noun (4)

Middle English pilez, plural, from Medieval Latin pili, perhaps from Latin pila ball

First Known Use

Noun (1)

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Noun (3)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (4)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing pile

• at the top of the pile
• at the bottom of the pile
• atomic pile
• pile driver
• dog pile
• pile on
• pile out
• pile (something) on
• pile in
• pile drive
• compost pile

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• at the top of the pile
• at the bottom of the pile
• atomic pile
• pile driver
• dog pile
• pile on
• pile out
• pile (something) on
• pile in
• pile drive
• compost pile

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Kids Definition

pile

1 of 6 noun

ˈpī(ə)l 

: a long slender post usually of timber, steel, or concrete driven into the ground to support a load

pile

2 of 6 verb

piled; piling

: to drive piles into

pile

3 of 6 noun

1

a

: a quantity of things heaped together

b

: a heap of wood for burning a corpse or a sacrifice

2

: a great amount

3

: reactor sense 2

pile

4 of 6 verb

piled; piling

1

: to lay or place something in a pile : stack

2

: to heap in abundance : load

3

: to move or push forward hastily or in a disorganized way : crowd

piled into the car

pile

5 of 6 noun

1

: a coat or surface of usually short close fine furry hairs

2

: raised loops on the surface of a fabric which may be cut or uncut and which produce a velvety or fuzzy texture

piled adjective

pile

6 of 6 noun

1

: hemorrhoid sense 1

2

plural : hemorrhoid sense 2

Etymology

Noun

Old English pīl "dart, stake," from Latin pilum "spear, javelin"

Noun

Middle English pile "pier of a bridge, heap, stack," from early French pille "pier of a bridge," from Latin pila "pillar"

Noun

Middle English pile "furry surface," from early French peil, pil "hair, coat with thick nap," from Latin pilus "hair" — related to caterpillar see Word History at caterpillar

Noun

Middle English pile "hemorrhoid," perhaps derived from Latin pila "ball"

Medical Definition

pile

noun

ˈpī(ə)l 

1

: a single hemorrhoid

2

piles plural : hemorrhoids

also : the condition of one affected with hemorrhoids