pile-on

American  

[pahyl-on, ‐-awn] / ˈpaɪlˌɒn, ‐ˌɔn /

noun

1. the action of followers who join a hostile group in harshly criticizing or judging a less dominant group or individual, sometimes gloating over that group’s or person's defeat or diminished standing (often used attributively): Social media encourages a kind of pile-on mentality that is very unforgiving of mistakes and flaws.

   Long after the merciless baiting ceased to be funny, her critics continued to join the pile-on.

   Social media encourages a kind of pile-on mentality that is very unforgiving of mistakes and flaws.

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Etymology

Origin of pile-on

Noun use of verb phrase pile on

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pile-on

What followed was a day of public self-flagellation from Totenberg, her editor, and NPR itself, followed by a Cersei Lannister walk of shame–level pile-on from everyone else.

From Slate ● Jul. 2, 2026

The pile-on proceeded to break comment section containment, spreading into blogs, magazines and network TV talk shows.

From Salon ● Feb. 16, 2026

The risk is a pile-on that would be the mirror image of Bitcoin ETFs’ role in last year’s Bitcoin rally, when the surge of inflows to the new funds helped drive the crypto higher.

From Barron's ● Feb. 5, 2026

Others defended her, and expressed discomfort at seeing such a young actress suffer a pile-on.

From BBC ● Mar. 29, 2025

She canceled her summer tour and her fourth marriage ended in divorce, not to mention the internet pile-on on Bennifer 2.0 that put it out there for public consumption.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2024

Related Words

• exaggerate
• overestimate
• overplay
• overrate
• overreach
• overstate
• overuse
• overvalue