pileup

American  

[pahyl-uhp] / ˈpaɪlˌʌp /

Or pile-up

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.

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Etymology

Origin of pileup

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

Example Sentences

And so there has been a pileup of ignominy referred to a busier-than-ever Ethics Committee.

From Slate • Apr. 16, 2026

A Jan. 31 pileup involved 59 cars with 10 people needing hospitalization.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026

In my family, birthdays arrive in a cheerful pileup.

From Salon • Feb. 3, 2026

A three-mile stretch of Highway 99 was closed for more than five hours Saturday after dense fog led to a massive vehicle pileup in Tulare County, about 40 miles north of Bakersfield.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 31, 2026

I wondered who was covering for him as I wove my way through the pileup and toward the store, hoping my cap would keep me invisible—I felt like a ghost anyway.

From "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" by emily m. danforth

Related Words

• accumulation