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piling

American  
[pahy-ling] / ˈpaɪ lɪŋ /

noun

  1. a mass of building piles considered collectively.

  2. a structure composed of piles.

piling British  
/ ˈpaɪlɪŋ /

noun

  1. the act of driving piles

  2. a number of piles

  3. a structure formed of piles

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of piling

First recorded in 1400–50, piling is from the late Middle English word pylyng; see pile 2, -ing 1

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.

But since that money stream ended, rubbish has been piling up.

From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026

Investors are chasing the latest stock-market rally by piling into equity call options, according to analysis done by Cboe Global Markets.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 21, 2026

They don’t have bills piling up because they can’t afford to pay them.

From Salon • Apr. 19, 2026

He is eventually saddled with an 0-2 record with a 6.23 ERA after piling up a 4.46 ERA in eight starts last season.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 17, 2026

Some evenings, Mami let me sit on Don Pedro’s boat, which was tied to a piling between our house and Doña Andrea’s.

From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago

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.