Phrase guide

pile up

verb · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

verb

Meaning 1

To form a pile, stack, or heap.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • The kids piled up their boots and coats by the back door.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To collect or accumulate, as a backlog.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic, intransitive

Examples

  • The requests piled up while she was away.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: head up

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To sustain a motor vehicle accident; to crash.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

collect or gather

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Journals are accumulating in my office
  • The work keeps piling up

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: accumulate, cumulate, conglomerate, gather, amass

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: increase

Narrower terms: backlog, accrete, drift

5

verb

Meaning 5

arrange into piles or stacks

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • She piled up her books in my living room

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: heap up, stack up

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: gather, garner, collect, pull together

6

verb

Meaning 6

get or gather together

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • I am accumulating evidence for the man's unfaithfulness to his wife
  • She is amassing a lot of data for her thesis
  • She rolled up a small fortune

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: roll up, collect, accumulate, amass, compile, hoard

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: store, hive away, lay in, put in, salt away, stack away, stash away

Narrower terms: run up, corral, collect, pull in, scrape, scrape up, scratch, come up, lump, chunk, bale, catch, fund

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

52 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Amharic: አከማቸ (ʾäkämačä) — to form a pile etc.
  • Catalan: amuntegar — to form a pile etc.
  • Dutch: stapelen — to form a pile etc.
  • Esperanto: amasigi — to form a pile etc.
  • Finnish: kasata — to form a pile etc.
  • Finnish: kasautua — to form a pile etc.
  • French: amonceler — to form a pile etc.
  • French: empiler — to form a pile etc.
  • German: stapeln — to form a pile etc.
  • Ancient Greek: σωρεύω (sōreúō) — to form a pile etc.
  • Italian: impilare — to form a pile etc.
  • Italian: impilarsi — to form a pile etc.
  • Polish: usypywać — to form a pile etc.
  • Polish: usypać — to form a pile etc.
  • Portuguese: amontoar — to form a pile etc.
  • Portuguese: empilhar — to form a pile etc.
  • Quechua: qutuy — to form a pile etc.
  • Romanian: îngrămădi — to form a pile etc.
  • Russian: нагроможда́ть (nagromoždátʹ) — to form a pile etc.
  • Russian: нагромозди́ть (nagromozdítʹ) — to form a pile etc.
  • Russian: нака́пливать (nakáplivatʹ) — to form a pile etc.
  • Russian: накопи́ть (nakopítʹ) — to form a pile etc.
  • Slovak: nakopiť — to form a pile etc.
  • Slovak: navŕšiť — to form a pile etc.
  • Slovak: vŕšiť — to form a pile etc.
  • Spanish: acumular — to form a pile etc.
  • Spanish: arrumar — to form a pile etc.
  • Spanish: apilar — to form a pile etc.
  • Spanish: amontonar — to form a pile etc.
  • Spanish: hacinar — to form a pile etc.
  • Swedish: trava — to form a pile etc.
  • Swedish: stapla — to form a pile etc.
  • Swedish: uppstapla — to form a pile etc.
  • Tamil: அடுக்கு (aṭukku) — to form a pile etc.
  • Vietnamese: vun — to form a pile etc.
  • Esperanto: amasiĝi — idiomatic: to accumulate
  • Finnish: kasautua — idiomatic: to accumulate
  • French: s'amonceler — idiomatic: to accumulate
  • Polish: nawarstwiać się — idiomatic: to accumulate
  • Polish: nawarstwić się — idiomatic: to accumulate
  • Polish: nagromadzać się — idiomatic: to accumulate
  • Polish: nagromadzić się — idiomatic: to accumulate
  • Polish: piętrzyć się — idiomatic: to accumulate
  • Polish: spiętrzać się — idiomatic: to accumulate
  • Polish: spiętrzyć się — idiomatic: to accumulate
  • Portuguese: amontoar-se — idiomatic: to accumulate
  • Russian: нака́пливаться (nakáplivatʹsja) — idiomatic: to accumulate
  • Russian: накопи́ться (nakopítʹsja) — idiomatic: to accumulate
  • Slovak: nakopiť sa — idiomatic: to accumulate
  • Slovak: kopiť sa — idiomatic: to accumulate
  • Spanish: amontonarse — idiomatic: to accumulate
  • Tamil: கூடு (kūṭu) — idiomatic: to accumulate