pile 1 of 3

noun (1)

Definition of pilenext
1
as in stack
a quantity of things thrown or stacked on one another a large pile of newspapers that needed to be disposed of

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in loads
a considerable amount a job that paid piles of money

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in bundle
a very large amount of money she made a pile in the stock market just before it headed south

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

pile

2 of 3

noun (2)

1
as in fur
a soft airy substance or covering the lush pile of the carpeting

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2
as in wool
the hairy covering of a mammal especially when fine, soft, and thick a dog with such a dense pile that he never minded the cold

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pile

3 of 3

verb

1
as in to stack
to lay or throw on top of one another piled all the clothes on the chair before putting them away

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2
as in to huddle
to gather into a closely packed group the kids piled into the car

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pile
Noun
As her daughter sweeps away the last piles of sand, 54-year-old Nuru Mohammed directs women hanging fishing nets to serve as décor. — ABC News, 6 July 2026 Putting diseased plant material in your compost pile and using unclean or dull pruning tools also increases the risk of transmitting issues from plant to plant. — Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 5 July 2026
Verb
The family just started their donation drive on Thursday, and Baltimore neighbors have already started to pile up their kitchen with bags. — Kaicey Baylor, CBS News, 26 June 2026 Squandered assets and unexpected free-agent departures turned it into a source of frustration and boredom for fans, who watched labored breakouts, poor puck management and ugly games pile up. — Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 28 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for pile
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pile
  1. stack
  2. loads
  3. bundle
  4. fur
  5. wool
  6. huddle
  7. mound
  8. ton
Noun
  • Customers may notice a stack of small business cards at the hostess stand near the entrance.
    — Jenna Thompson July 2, Kansas City Star, 2 July 2026
  • The perfect alternative to wearing your gold ring stacks to the beach.
    — Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 2 July 2026
Definition of stack
Noun
  • Double bag any heavy trash bags or loads that contain a lot of wet food to prevent rips and leaks.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 3 July 2026
  • Battery systems could support those loads alongside renewable generation or other power sources.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 2 July 2026
Definition of loads
Noun
  • Opt for a fresh bundle of spinach, if possible, rather than a plastic container or bag, and consume it promptly to maintain its nutrient content.
    — Cristina Mutchler, Verywell Health, 3 July 2026
  • The first stage puts its payload inside an app bundle that impersonates real components built into macOS.
    — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 2 July 2026
Definition of bundle
Noun
  • Gendron said his ancestors were among the first outsiders to settle the island in the 1700s, when three brothers, fur traders all, left Canada and followed the Mississippi south.
    — Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
  • Cat fur comes in a wide array of shades, lengths and designs.
    — Madeline Gunderson, USA Today, 5 July 2026
Definition of fur
Noun
  • Unlike straw or lower-grade wool blends, beaver felt can be reworked without collapsing its structure, which is what allows hats to be reshaped by hand rather than stamped out of a mold.
    — Jessica Chapel, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 July 2026
  • The record also states that the boys were wearing heavy wool coats and silk stockings in the middle of summer in Philly.
    — Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 4 July 2026
Definition of wool
Verb
  • Inside at Revel Lounge, half the après crowd sips cocktails in robes and slippers while the other half have logged back on with work and are huddled away in the bar’s many discreet nooks and corners.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 July 2026
  • Before games, May said that Michigan’s coaching staff developed a habit of huddling up and reminding themselves to be confident because Johnson was on their team.
    — Christian Clark, New York Times, 2 July 2026
Definition of huddle
Noun
  • Fittingly, on Saturday, Yamamoto took the mound against the Padres and threw seven shutout innings.
    — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2026
  • Joyce was on the verge of returning to the major leagues in late May, but he was shut down and didn’t get back on a mound for nearly a month.
    — Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 4 July 2026
Definition of mound
Noun
  • Each scoop lifted tons of earth and rock as engineers raced to complete one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in history.
    — Malika Bowling, USA Today, 3 July 2026
  • It is designed to place nearly a half-ton of payload mass into low-Earth orbit.
    — Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 3 July 2026
Definition of ton

Phrases Containing pile

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pilasters
pile
piled
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Cite this Entry

“Pile.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pile. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on pile

Nglish: Translation of pile for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about pile

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