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pileup

or pile-up

[ pahyl-uhp ]
/ ˈpaɪlˌʌp /
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noun
a massive collision of several or many moving vehicles.
an accumulation, as of work, chores, or bills.
a rough or disorderly falling of people upon one another, as in a football game.
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Origin of pileup

First recorded in 1825–35; noun use of verb phrase pile up
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Ā© Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pileup in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pileup

pile up

verb (adverb)
to gather or be gathered in a pile; accumulate
informal to crash or cause to crash
noun pile-up
informal a multiple collision of vehicles
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition Ā© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 Ā© HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with pileup

pile up

1

Accumulate, as in The leaves piled up in the yard, or He piled up a huge fortune. In this idiom pile means ā€œform a heap or mass of something.ā€ [Mid-1800s]

2

Be involved in a crash, as in When the police arrived, at least four cars had piled up. [Late 1800s]

The American HeritageĀ® Idioms Dictionary Copyright Ā© 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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