plural piles
1
: a long slender column usually of timber, steel, or reinforced concrete driven into the ground to carry a vertical load
… thus Ellet reported that the riverbed was … firm enough to drive piles into for the foundations of piers.—
Henry Petroski
Henry Petroski2
: 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
piled; piling
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
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
plural piles
1
a(1)
: a quantity of things or people heaped together
a pile of leaves
… TV cameras captured him in a pile of his celebrating teammates.—Benjamin Hoffman
Benjamin Hoffman
(2)
: a heap of wood for burning a corpse or a sacrifice
b
: any great number or quantity : lot
made a pile of money
2
: a large building or group of buildings
3
: a great amount of money : fortune
She made a pile in the stock market.
4
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
1
: a single hemorrhoid
2
Synonyms
Examples of pile in a Sentence
Verb (2)
piled all the clothes on the chair before putting them away
the kids piled into the car
Noun (2)
a large pile of newspapers that needed to be disposed of
a job that paid piles of money
she made a pile in the stock market just before it headed south
Noun (3)
the lush pile of the carpeting
a dog with such a dense pile that he never minded the cold
Recent Examples on the WebEW.com, 9 May 2024
But with Copa America a little over a month away, can Inter Miami continue to pile up points before national team commitments pull away Messi and others for potentially several weeks?
—Andre Fernandez, Miami Herald, 8 May 2024
Constituent complaints about poor pick-up have piled up in Lauersdorf’s inbox and social media DMs since Knight Waste Services, a local trash collection firm, took over retrieval routes across large sections of North Fort Worth in recent years.
—Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 May 2024
And even retail investors have been piling into a lot of these areas.
—Andy Mills, Quartz, 8 May 2024
Statewide, Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, and President Joe Biden piled up more delegates heading to their respective party conventions later this summer.
—Isabella Volmert, Chicago Tribune, 7 May 2024
Several bags had been piled into a mattress of sorts.
—Kenny Jacoby, USA TODAY, 7 May 2024
But as allegations against Spacey piled up, he was fired by Netflix as well his longtime talent agency CAA, and his other projects were canned or put on hiatus.
—Louis Staples, Rolling Stone, 3 May 2024
Perhaps that’s a result of additional DNA piling up, providing the raw materials for innovation.
—Quanta Magazine, 2 May 2024
Byeleanor Pringle, Fortune, 10 May 2024
On an 8-inch tortilla, make two piles of shredded cheese near the center, one above the other, leaving a bit of a space between them to allow for a fold.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 May 2024
Mike McNally: Amy was essentially … in a pile of blood that was beginning to congeal under her left side.
—Nikki Battiste, CBS News, 5 May 2024
These polymers look like a pile of cooked spaghetti.
—IEEE Spectrum, 2 May 2024
Most of the treasures are just stocked up in piles, awaiting for their chance to impress.
—Jim Harrington, The Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2024
For those faced with piles of dead cicadas during that period, one of the best ways to dispose of them is by throwing them in the compost heap.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 24 May 2021
Residents have described piles of vermiculite being stored in the yard and dust from the facility blowing through downtown Libby.
—Amy Beth Hanson, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2024
In one early sequence, Malik, Eric, and other neighborhood kids launch themselves onto a pile of old mattresses, their carefree shouts commingling with the ecstatically churning strings of Jay Wadley’s score.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 22 Apr. 2024
Verb
Charlie immediately piles all the blame on Maria, who is feeling positively giddy off her successful move.
—EW.com, 9 May 2024
But with Copa America a little over a month away, can Inter Miami continue to pile up points before national team commitments pull away Messi and others for potentially several weeks?
—Andre Fernandez, Miami Herald, 8 May 2024
Constituent complaints about poor pick-up have piled up in Lauersdorf’s inbox and social media DMs since Knight Waste Services, a local trash collection firm, took over retrieval routes across large sections of North Fort Worth in recent years.
—Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 May 2024
And even retail investors have been piling into a lot of these areas.
—Andy Mills, Quartz, 8 May 2024
Statewide, Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, and President Joe Biden piled up more delegates heading to their respective party conventions later this summer.
—Isabella Volmert, Chicago Tribune, 7 May 2024
Several bags had been piled into a mattress of sorts.
—Kenny Jacoby, USA TODAY, 7 May 2024
But as allegations against Spacey piled up, he was fired by Netflix as well his longtime talent agency CAA, and his other projects were canned or put on hiatus.
—Louis Staples, Rolling Stone, 3 May 2024
Perhaps that’s a result of additional DNA piling up, providing the raw materials for innovation.
—Quanta Magazine, 2 May 2024
Noun
Elsewhere other creative outlets are shown: a pile of books, pairs of binoculars, a globe, a turntable.
—Byeleanor Pringle, Fortune, 10 May 2024
On an 8-inch tortilla, make two piles of shredded cheese near the center, one above the other, leaving a bit of a space between them to allow for a fold.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 May 2024
Mike McNally: Amy was essentially … in a pile of blood that was beginning to congeal under her left side.
—Nikki Battiste, CBS News, 5 May 2024
These polymers look like a pile of cooked spaghetti.
—IEEE Spectrum, 2 May 2024
Most of the treasures are just stocked up in piles, awaiting for their chance to impress.
—Jim Harrington, The Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2024
For those faced with piles of dead cicadas during that period, one of the best ways to dispose of them is by throwing them in the compost heap.
—Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, 24 May 2021
Residents have described piles of vermiculite being stored in the yard and dust from the facility blowing through downtown Libby.
—Amy Beth Hanson, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2024
In one early sequence, Malik, Eric, and other neighborhood kids launch themselves onto a pile of old mattresses, their carefree shouts commingling with the ecstatically churning strings of Jay Wadley’s score.
—Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 22 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pile.' 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
Cite this Entry
“Pile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pile. Accessed 14 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pile
1 of 6 noun
: 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 noun1
a
: a quantity of things heaped together
b
: a heap of wood for burning a corpse or a sacrifice
2
: a great amount
3
pile
5 of 6 noun1
: 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 noun2
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
noun1
: a single hemorrhoid
2
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