How to Use pileup in a Sentence

pileup

noun
  • A five-car pileup slowed traffic.
  • There’s a bit of a pileup here in a battle for the third spot.
    — Brice Paterik, Dallas News, 5 Aug. 2021
  • But that could lead to a pileup of tours in search of new dates in the fall or even next year.
    — Ben Sisario, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2020
  • Elise Viebeck has a handy guide to the pileup and the deadlines here.
    — James Hohmann, Washington Post, 6 Sep. 2017
  • But up ahead, a four-car pileup was snarling traffic more than usual.
    — New York Times, 19 Apr. 2021
  • The medics witnessed the pileup from start to finish.
    — Nichole Manna, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Jan. 2026
  • Photos showed a black pickup truck on top of a massive pileup.
    — Kathryn Prociv, NBC News, 24 Dec. 2022
  • In a pileup at the net, Justin Brazeau knocked it home for his third goal in two games.
    — Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 22 Mar. 2024
  • Smart uses of trays can add style and function to your home and avoid clutter pileups.
    — Abby Wolner, Better Homes & Gardens, 7 Jan. 2026
  • When Ward opened his door to address the crash in front of him, the pileup began.
    — Nichole Manna, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Jan. 2026
  • The pileup included two dozen semitrucks.
    — Cassidey Kavathas, USA Today, 19 Jan. 2026
  • Seguin’s slapper was the first power-play goal of training camp that wasn’t a tip or pileup at the net.
    — Matthew Defranks, Dallas News, 24 July 2020
  • The setback was a function of a pileup of factors, as most pullbacks are.
    — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 22 Feb. 2025
  • The Eagles downed the punt in the end zone, leading to a chaotic pileup.
    — Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2024
  • The pileup left a two-horse race won by Polish at the wire over Italian.
    — Jr Radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 18 Apr. 2018
  • Mullen reached in and appeared to take the ball away from Bandy before a pileup ensued.
    — José M. Romero, The Arizona Republic, 28 Nov. 2022
  • The bigger the pileup on the side of the interstate, the better.
    — Washington Post, 24 Mar. 2021
  • Hayden Kennedy, a 27-year-old world-class climber, fought his way out from the pileup.
    — Author: Kyle Swenson, Alaska Dispatch News, 11 Oct. 2017
  • Yet at the show’s start, the novelty factor was dulled by a pileup of young acts doing soft rock.
    — Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 15 Mar. 2021
  • The rest is a strictly routine pileup of car crashes, shoot-outs and wisecracks.
    — David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 July 2024
  • But consulates have in recent weeks been flooded with such requests, adding to the pileup.
    — New York Times, 15 Oct. 2021
  • On the last lap, the traffic behind him resulted in a pileup, and the rest of the field slid away.
    — Chelsea Janes, Houston Chronicle, 17 Feb. 2018
  • But if the stadium doors open onto a wide field, people spread out, and there’s no pileup.
    — Avery Schuyler Nunn, Scientific American, 13 Nov. 2025
  • Five other people were killed in the 130-car pileup.
    — Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Dec. 2025
  • The delay was caused by a red flag following a rare pit-late pileup on the 14th lap.
    — Jim Ayello, The Indianapolis Star, 6 July 2020
  • Be sure to start the day with an empty dishwasher so guests can load their own dishes to avoid a pileup in the sink.
    — Emily Vanschmus, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Aug. 2023
  • Be sure to start the day with an empty dishwasher so guests can load their own dishes to avoid a pileup in the sink.
    — Emily Vanschmus, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Aug. 2023
  • The pileup resulted in major damage to cars, trucks and semis.
    — Jesse Sarles, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026
  • Skip over the dish pileup with a groovy playlist and designate some helpers to wash and dry before dinner is even served.
    — Joseph Hernandez, Bon Appetit Magazine, 21 Oct. 2025
  • But in the film’s brisk screen progress, the pileup of left-field plot developments soon becomes overkill.
    — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 3 Mar. 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pileup.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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