piles
Britishplural noun
Etymology
Origin of piles
C15: from Latin pilae balls (referring to the appearance of external piles)
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Before-and-after satellite footage of Guaira reveal a stunning spectacle: Piles of rubble now occupy scores of sites that once housed high-rise buildings, shops, homes and other structures.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2026
Piles of casings, stripped of their copper, had been crammed outside a basement window.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 29, 2025
Piles of belongings and rotting food covered the bed and the air was thick with flies.
From Barron's • Nov. 2, 2025
Piles of dry excrement were scattered on the floor.
From New York Times • Jun. 5, 2024
Piles of horse dung steamed in the streets.
From I Survived the American Revolution, 1776 by Lauren Tarshis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
