pile driver

Save This Word!

noun

a machine for driving piles, usually composed of a tall framework in which either a weight is raised and dropped on a pile head or in which a steam hammer drives the pile.

a person who operates such a machine.

a person who hits or attacks forcefully or powerfully.

Wrestling. a move whereby an opponent is turned upside down and slammed headfirst to the mat.

British Sports. a powerful stroke, hit, kick, etc.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of pile driver

First recorded in 1765–75

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pile driver in a sentence

Thankfully there were no casualties—the driver managed to stop the train immediately.
Is Putin Turning to Terrorism in Ukraine?|Anna Nemtsova|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
He also was working to recruit Castro as a driver for a drug load.
An Informant, a Missing American, and Juarez’s House of Death: Inside the 12-Year Cold Case of David Castro|Bill Conroy|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
So I asked the driver to honk the horn, which he does, and Rod looks over.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Abraham, a yellow cab driver and student, feels that blacks are targeted unfairly by the police.
Ground Zero of the NYPD Slowdown|Batya Ungar-Sargon|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Public employee unions are a little-acknowledged driver of this conflict.
How Public Sector Unions Divide the Democrats|Daniel DiSalvo|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But, when the car came thundering down, it was crammed to the step; with a melancholy gesture, the driver declined her signal.
Hilda Lessways|Arnold Bennett
It is a lofty and richly-decorated pile of the fourteenth century; and tells of the labours and the wealth of a foreign land.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
They soon had a large pile heaped up in the middle of the road which led through the forest.
The Nursery, July 1873, Vol. XIV. No. 1|Various
The driver must at all times have his car under reasonable control so that he can stop in time to avoid injury.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman|Albert Sidney Bolles
If there be no facilities for stopping for the night, a driver is not negligent should he proceed through the fog.
Putnam's Handy Law Book for the Layman|Albert Sidney Bolles

British Dictionary definitions for pile driver

pile-driver

noun

a machine that drives piles into the ground either by repeatedly allowing a heavy weight to fall on the head of the pile or by using a steam hammer

informal a forceful punch or kick

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012