pileup
or pile-up
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.
Origin of pileup
1Words Nearby pileup
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use pileup in a sentence
They think a pileup of dust could have formed between the planet’s orbit and the sun.
Born in deep shadows? That could explain Jupiter’s strange makeup | Ken Croswell | August 6, 2021 | Science News For StudentsThey might even get to take part in one of cycling’s most prestigious and celebrated events, the Giro d’Italia, where this year the numerous pileups were merely a prelude to the “horrific conditions” in the mountains.
The unprecedented pileup could strain global supply chains that are already stressed by the coronavirus pandemic.
Piracy fears mount as ships take long way around Africa to avoid blocked Suez Canal | Sudarsan Raghavan, Antonia Noori Farzan | March 26, 2021 | Washington PostEven light ice accumulations can cause significant travel disruptions, as with the deadly 100-car pileup in Fort Worth on Thursday morning.
Snow expected tonight, mainly south of D.C., before possible ice on Saturday | Jason Samenow, Wes Junker | February 11, 2021 | Washington PostCoach John Harbaugh was angry at the officials, believing that Steelers defenders illegally stalled during the pileup of players following a second-and-goal running play.
Steelers stay unbeaten, hold off Ravens in rare Wednesday NFL game | Mark Maske | December 3, 2020 | Washington Post
British Dictionary definitions for pile up
to gather or be gathered in a pile; accumulate
informal to crash or cause to crash
informal a multiple collision of vehicles
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with pileup
Accumulate, as in The leaves piled up in the yard, or He piled up a huge fortune. In this idiom pile means “form a heap or mass of something.” [Mid-1800s]
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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