pileup
noun
pile·up
ˈpī(-ə)l-ˌəp 
1
: a collision involving usually several motor vehicles
2
a
: a jammed tangled mass or pile (as of motor vehicles or people) resulting from collision or accumulation
b
Examples of pileup in a Sentence
A five-car pileup slowed traffic.
a pileup of e-mail messages that needed to be dealt with
Recent Examples on the Web
Nothing about this day is going right, and the pileup of catastrophes practically bust up Alyssa and Dreux’s friendship.
—
Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 4 Apr. 2025
The race met with a chaotic ending after Smith crashed into the back of Taylor Gray in the last lap, triggering a massive pileup of cars.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2025
Markets have juddered for weeks on the pileup of policy moves and statements by White House officials — some of them contradicting one another over how much, if any, pain consumers should expect from the administration’s changes.
—Steve Kopack, NBC news, 28 Mar. 2025
At least one death has been blamed on the extreme weather: KFDA-TV reported that a person was killed in a traffic pileup on Highway 60 in northwest Texas, where 80 mph winds were blowing dust and debris, making for low visibility.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pileup
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Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 4 Apr. 2025
The race met with a chaotic ending after Smith crashed into the back of Taylor Gray in the last lap, triggering a massive pileup of cars.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Apr. 2025
Markets have juddered for weeks on the pileup of policy moves and statements by White House officials — some of them contradicting one another over how much, if any, pain consumers should expect from the administration’s changes.
—Steve Kopack, NBC news, 28 Mar. 2025
At least one death has been blamed on the extreme weather: KFDA-TV reported that a person was killed in a traffic pileup on Highway 60 in northwest Texas, where 80 mph winds were blowing dust and debris, making for low visibility.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA TODAY, 14 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pileup
Cite this Entry
“Pileup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pileup. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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