pileup

Or pile-up

[pahyl-uhp]

noun

1. a massive collision of several or many moving vehicles.

2. an accumulation, as of work, chores, or bills.

3. a rough or disorderly falling of people upon one another, as in a football game.

Word History and Origins

Origin of pileup¹

First recorded in 1825–35; noun use of verb phrase pile up

Example Sentences

The advantages are obvious: The method could be used for future data storage and for fast data transmission at terahertz rates without the systems being slowed down by the pileup of heat.

Read more on Science Daily

TSA has often been a crapshoot, risking pileups as travelers pulled laptops from carry-ons and novice vacationers struggled to untie their sneakers.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Some ended up with an inventory pileup just as shoppers pulled back their spending, leaving companies to discount goods and take a hit on their margins, analysts said.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The incident caused significant traffic pileups on Highway 50.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

In the middle of the night … I’m still haunted by this mawkish pileup of gospel signifiers.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• accumulation