pile on
phrasal verb
piled on; piling on; piles on
US, informal
: to join other people in criticizing something or someone in usually an unfair way
After the first few negative reviews, all the other critics started piling on.
Examples of pile on in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Sasquatch Sunset is a textbook case of the latter, piling on enough quirkiness to almost get on your nerves before suddenly swerving headfirst first into the sublime, rinse, repeat.
—
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Apr. 2024
At the house, newspapers were piled on the front stoop, Lindberg said in court.
—Olivia Diaz, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
And the kids were just piling on each other trying to get out.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 22 Mar. 2024
The visiting side continued to pile on the pressure and had the chance to put the game beyond doubt in the 80th minute but squandered a five-on-two counter-attack.
—Sam Joseph, CNN, 17 Mar. 2024
The economic pressures continued to pile on, with foreign travelers and investors staying away from Uganda.
—Abdi Latif Dahir, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2024
Try traditional pepperoni or pile on mushrooms, green bell peppers, and Italian sausage for those classic supreme pizza flavors.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Mar. 2024
The crowd cheered—and her team piled on top of her—when Choi was declared the winner.
—Sean Gregory, TIME, 5 Mar. 2024
Each morning, organized in neat piles on a long wooden table in front of the high dais that was the magistrate’s perch, case folders accumulated, painstakingly prepared by court staff for the eviction attorneys.
—Mya Frazier, Harper's Magazine, 26 Feb. 2024
David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Apr. 2024
At the house, newspapers were piled on the front stoop, Lindberg said in court.
—Olivia Diaz, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
And the kids were just piling on each other trying to get out.
—Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 22 Mar. 2024
The visiting side continued to pile on the pressure and had the chance to put the game beyond doubt in the 80th minute but squandered a five-on-two counter-attack.
—Sam Joseph, CNN, 17 Mar. 2024
The economic pressures continued to pile on, with foreign travelers and investors staying away from Uganda.
—Abdi Latif Dahir, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2024
Try traditional pepperoni or pile on mushrooms, green bell peppers, and Italian sausage for those classic supreme pizza flavors.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Mar. 2024
The crowd cheered—and her team piled on top of her—when Choi was declared the winner.
—Sean Gregory, TIME, 5 Mar. 2024
Each morning, organized in neat piles on a long wooden table in front of the high dais that was the magistrate’s perch, case folders accumulated, painstakingly prepared by court staff for the eviction attorneys.
—Mya Frazier, Harper's Magazine, 26 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pile on.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near pile on
Cite this Entry
“Pile on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pile%20on. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
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