pileup
Americannoun
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a massive collision of several or many moving vehicles.
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an accumulation, as of work, chores, or bills.
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a rough or disorderly falling of people upon one another, as in a football game.
Etymology
Origin of pileup
First recorded in 1825–35; noun use of verb phrase pile up
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.
And so there has been a pileup of ignominy referred to a busier-than-ever Ethics Committee.
From Slate ● Apr. 16, 2026
The California Highway Patrol responded to the vehicle pileup at 7:34 p.m.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 31, 2026
In my family, birthdays arrive in a cheerful pileup.
From Salon ● Feb. 3, 2026
A main reason his residence has survived his fluctuations in fame is that it was conceived as an indivisible work, not just a pileup of expensive objects.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 30, 2026
Traffic would be heavy on the bridge due to an accident, and because we were paid for travel time, we'd hope that the pileup involved at least one piece of heavy machinery.
From "Me Talk Pretty One Day" by David Sedaris
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
