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
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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
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Recent Examples of pile (up)
Gaby Keiderling, Vogue, 28 Jan. 2026
Search and rescue Ward and Riley carried their first patient, a young woman, to the ambulance about an hour after the pileup began.
—Nichole Manna, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Jan. 2026
And finally… ▶️ Massive pileup in snowy Michigan A 100-plus vehicle pileup in Michigan on Monday brought traffic to a standstill during dangerous whiteout conditions.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 20 Jan. 2026
Blowing snow driven by the high winds on Monday morning, Jan. 19, contributed to a 100-plus vehicle pileup on Interstate 196 in Southwest Michigan near Holland.
—Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pile (up)
Noun
On Tuesday night, New York City’s color-loving partygoers braved the fierce cold, emerging from cars on Gansevoort Street clad in floor-length sequin gowns and a kaleidoscope of prints, stepping over three-foot snow pileups to enter the museum.
—Gaby Keiderling, Vogue, 28 Jan. 2026
Search and rescue Ward and Riley carried their first patient, a young woman, to the ambulance about an hour after the pileup began.
—Nichole Manna, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Jan. 2026
And finally… ▶️ Massive pileup in snowy Michigan A 100-plus vehicle pileup in Michigan on Monday brought traffic to a standstill during dangerous whiteout conditions.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 20 Jan. 2026
Blowing snow driven by the high winds on Monday morning, Jan. 19, contributed to a 100-plus vehicle pileup on Interstate 196 in Southwest Michigan near Holland.
—Sarah Moore, Freep.com, 20 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pile (up)
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pile (up)
Verb
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During a subsequent conversation with Humpal and an onsite investigation, DNR staff determined the spill was coming from the west side of the operation where snow melt and a broken waterline caused more water to accumulate.—
Cami Koons,
Iowa Capital Dispatch,
10 Feb. 2026
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The trust accumulated over those projects was what gave both Netflix and Honnold the confidence to mount a spectacle as daring as a rope-less skyscraper climb captured on live TV.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The results revealed lower leaf damage and lower anthocyanin accumulation when plants were physically touching each other.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
7 Feb. 2026
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Snow squalls can occur with very little warning and can lead to whiteout conditions on the roads, and also drop a quick accumulation of snow that can lead to very slippery conditions.—
Bill Kelly,
CBS News,
7 Feb. 2026
Noun
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These latest photos were shared two months after the duo became Instagram official in December, when Perry posted a collection of photos and videos from her time in Tokyo, which included quality time with her beau.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
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In addition to all the vases and tissue boxes Stephan recommends, make sure your book collection is punctuated with decorative bookends.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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And as traders bought more, the gains gathered steam, resulting in skyrocketing prices.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
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Several dozen demonstrators also gathered at Temple and Alameda streets near the federal building, and a broadcast report said police issued a dispersal order there.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Standing at the head of a moving shuttle bus like a safari guide, the circuit’s chairman points to piles of dirt.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
10 Feb. 2026
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On Amazon, the glorious inconvenience of browsing shelves or combing through piles has been eliminated.—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Macaroons are chewy jumbles of coconut bound together with egg whites and sweetened condensed milk.—
Lynda Balslev,
Mercury News,
10 Feb. 2026
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The result also spotlights conference championships’ awkward fit in the current system, particularly given the fact that conference expansion has led to jumbles atop each league’s standings.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
7 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Smaller model, faster robots The headline release includes what Alibaba calls the industry’s first 30-billion-parameter mixture-of-experts embodied AI model.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Feb. 2026
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There is no precedent for such an intense mixture anywhere in New York City.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Washington’s inaugural critical minerals summit this week — bringing together officials from 54 countries including several from Africa — was, on the surface, a diplomatic gathering.—
Yinka Adegoke,
semafor.com,
7 Feb. 2026
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As one of the most influential gatherings in the beauty and fragrance industry, Cosmoprof provides an ideal platform to showcase a perfume that prioritizes emotional resonance over fleeting trends.—
Maria Williams,
USA Today,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pile (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pile%20%28up%29. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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