pile

noun
UK: /paɪl/
US: /paɪl/

  1. A group of things put one on top of another.

    1. There is a pile of books on the table. [ ] [ ]
    2. The construction workers left a pile of sand near the building site. [ ] [ ]

  2. A large amount of something.

    1. I have a pile of work to do today. [ ] [ ]
    2. She inherited a huge pile of money from her grandmother. [ ] [ ]

  3. A large, imposing building.

    1. The old manor house was a magnificent pile. [ ] [ ]
    2. They live in a stately pile overlooking the lake. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

accumulation fortune collection stack heap mass
pile verb

  1. To put things one on top of another; to accumulate.

    1. Pile the books on the shelf, please. [ ] [ ]
    2. We watched the snow pile up outside the window during the storm. [ ] [ ]

  2. To move or proceed as a group, often in a disorganized way.

    1. The children piled into the car for the trip. [ ] [ ]
    2. Fans began to pile onto the field after the team won the championship. [ ] [ ]
pile transitive-verb

  1. To crash a vehicle.

    1. He piled his car into a tree on a rainy night, damaging it severely. [ ] [ ]
    2. The race car driver piled into the barrier after losing control on the final lap. [ ] [ ]
pile intransitive-verb

  1. To accumulate or increase gradually.

    1. The work started to pile up while I was on vacation. [ ] [ ]
    2. Stress can pile up if you don't take time to relax. [ ] [ ]
pile phrasal-verb

  1. Pile up: to accumulate or increase in quantity or amount.

    1. Dirty dishes pile up in the sink when I'm too busy. [ ] [ ]
    2. Unanswered emails tend to pile up if you're out of the office for long. [ ] [ ]
pile phrasal-verb

  1. Pile on: to criticize someone strongly and publicly.

    1. Don't pile on him he's already feeling bad about the mistake. [ ] [ ]
    2. The media tends to pile on celebrities when they make a public error. [ ] [ ]

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "pile" in English means: A group of things put one on top of another., A large amount of something., A large, imposing building..

The phonetic transcription of "pile" is /paɪl/ in British English and /paɪl/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "pile": accumulation, fortune, collection, stack, heap, mass.

Example usage of "pile": "There is a pile of books on the table.". More examples on the page.