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)
Alan Gionet, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026
About 70 vehicles were involved in a major pileup on a section of a Colorado highway, sending eight people to the hospital, amid hazardous cold weather, authorities said.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2026
The sheriff’s office indicated that all of those earlier incidents had been cleared before the major 75-vehicle pileup unfolded nearby on I-70 eastbound near mile marker 216.
—Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 15 Apr. 2026
Here are tips from a professional for managing the paper clutter and avoiding the paper pileup in the future.
—Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 11 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pile (up)
Noun
Staffers also contacted the Colorado State Patrol, as the 70-car pileup happened, to alert law enforcement.
—Alan Gionet, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026
About 70 vehicles were involved in a major pileup on a section of a Colorado highway, sending eight people to the hospital, amid hazardous cold weather, authorities said.
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2026
The sheriff’s office indicated that all of those earlier incidents had been cleared before the major 75-vehicle pileup unfolded nearby on I-70 eastbound near mile marker 216.
—Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 15 Apr. 2026
Here are tips from a professional for managing the paper clutter and avoiding the paper pileup in the future.
—Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 11 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pile (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pile (up)
Verb
-
Try to accumulate enough money to cover six to twelve months of living expenses in a high-yield savings or money market account.—
Jill Schlesinger,
Mercury News,
25 May 2026
-
Coming out of their successful, predatory expansion process, for example, the Golden Knights accumulated six additional draft picks — including two additional first-round picks — making 13 total picks in their inaugural appearance at the draft.—
Thomas Drance,
New York Times,
25 May 2026
Noun
-
Heavy dust and grime accumulation was observed on the fan guards in the walk-in refrigerator.—
Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado
May 22,
Sacbee.com,
22 May 2026
-
With each day, another cause of the fluid accumulation was ruled out, and one was becoming more and more apparent.—
Amy Kimmel,
PEOPLE,
21 May 2026
Noun
-
Instead, hormone signals and the glands that produce them are part of a communication system that organises every cell, turning collections of independently functioning cells, tissues and organs into an interconnected human body.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
-
The interactive museum is finishing up a major expansion, and visitors will soon be able to see even more of its extensive collection up close.—
Travel + Leisure Editors,
Travel + Leisure,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
Save Girls’ Sports activists gathered outside Yorba Linda High School in protest, which OutKick documented firsthand through conversations with parents and attendees at the meet.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
-
Before the team’s departure, the staff gathered for a final walk-through.—
Clayton Dalton,
New Yorker,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
This results in a pile-up of backpacks, jackets, and purses on entryway chairs, the bottom of the stairs, and kitchen counters.—
Louise Parks,
Martha Stewart,
25 May 2026
-
Do not add infected plant material to the compost pile.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
25 May 2026
Noun
-
Arches and natural bridges sweep like buttresses from jumbles of rock, giving this landscape a mystical, cathedral-like quality.—
Madison Chapman,
Outside,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Macaroons are chewy jumbles of coconut bound together with egg whites and sweetened condensed milk.—
Lynda Balslev,
Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Now, there’s a real mixture of guests hanging around the lobby and breakfast room.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
19 May 2026
-
Dredge each tomato slice in the flour mixture, then give it a dunk in the buttermilk-egg bath, and finally coat it generously in the cornmeal-breadcrumb mixture.—
John Metcalfe,
Mercury News,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
An iconic gathering place for South Florida soccer fans, Fritz & Franz Bierhaus, is preparing to leave Coral Gables after a two-decade history following a dispute with city officials over the use of a public plaza for World Cup watch parties.—
Ivan Taylor,
CBS News,
23 May 2026
-
Ituri Province previously banned funeral wakes and large gatherings after attackers in another town after residents burned another treatment center on Thursday after they were refused access to the body of a person who died from the disease.—
Mary Whitfill Roeloffs,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pile (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pile%20%28up%29. Accessed 26 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
