DictionaryAI

pile

PYL/paɪl/

Pluralpiles

Verbpiles, piling, piled

24 meanings of pile

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  1. 1
    nouncountable
    A mass of things heaped or stacked together in one place.

    He stacked the firewood into a neat pile beside the shed.

    Dirty dishes formed a precarious pile in the sink.

    UsageUsually a pile of something: a pile of clothes; piles of can just mean a lot: piles of work.

    Similarheap, stack, mound, mass

  2. 2
    verbintransitive
    To put things on top of one another in a heap, or (of things) to gather or build up into a heap.

    Leaves pile in the gutters every fall.

    Paperwork piled on her desk until she could barely see the surface.

    UsageOften pile up or pile high: work piles up, snow piles against a fence.

    Similaraccumulate, collect, gather, heap

    Note

    The heap builds itself here: the subject is the stuff, not the person stacking it. Junk piles on the floor. S.S. Fair in the New York Times (2007) describes a bagless dustbin that "piled high" with dirt. With a person as subject and an object, as in she piled the books on a chair, the same verb means stacking things up.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

    • Wiktionary attributes the bagless-dustbin passage to S.S. Fair, in the New York Times, on October 7, 2007. en.wiktionary.org
    • The quoted words piled high describe the dustbin filling with dirt. en.wiktionary.org
  3. 3
    add moreverbtransitive
    To add still more to something that is already large in number or amount.

    Critics pile more blame on the coach after every loss.

    The merger piled enormous debt onto the company.

    UsageOften pile blame, debt or pressure on or onto someone.

    Similarheap, load, add

  4. 4
    fill highverbtransitive
    To cover or load something with heaps of things, often more than it can comfortably hold.

    The host piled our plates high with roast lamb and vegetables.

    Grandma likes to pile our plates with mashed potatoes until we beg her to stop.

    Similarheap, load, shower

  5. 5
    fabric surfacenouncountable or uncountable
    The raised hairs, loops, or strands forming the surface of a fabric; the nap of a cloth.

    The deep pile of the rug felt luxurious underfoot.

    Brushing velvet against the pile changes how it catches the light.

    UsageOften a deep pile or a thick pile; you brush with or against the pile.

    Similarnap

    Note

    William Cowper's The Task (1785) already sets "velvet soft" beside "plush with shaggy pile."

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

  6. 6
    nouncountable
    A long post of timber, steel, concrete, or another material sunk into the ground or seabed to support a structure.

    Engineers drove a timber pile deep into the soft soil before laying the foundation.

    A single pile failed, and the pier began to lean.

    UsageUsually you drive a pile into the ground or seabed.

    Similarpost

    Note

    Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe (1719) captures the labor of it: bringing piles out of the woods and driving them into the ground. Piles do more than hold up piers and buildings. Driven in a line, they can wall off water to form a cofferdam.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

    • Daniel Defoe wrote Robinson Crusoe, first published in 1719. open.edu
    • The novel describes Crusoe's labor bringing piles from the woods and driving them into the ground. gutenberg.org
    • Piles support piers and buildings. en.wikipedia.org
    • Driven piles can form a barrier excluding water, creating a cofferdam. en.wikipedia.org
  7. 7
    lots of moneynounslangcountable
    A large amount of money.

    They made a pile flipping houses during the boom.

    After the deal closed, she walked away with a tidy pile.

    UsageUsually make a pile: they made a pile flipping houses.

    Similarmint, bundle

    Note

    Harriet W. Daly, writing in 1887 of the Northern Territory, still sets "pile" off in quotes, as a word that needed marking.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

  8. 8
    sorted groupnouncolloquialcountable
    A group or list of related items being considered, especially during a selection process.

    After the first review, his résumé moved to the rejection pile.

    The hiring manager sorted each candidate into one pile or another.

    UsageUsually with a label word: the yes pile, the rejection pile.

    Similarstack, group

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of pile apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1–4, 7–8, 10–11, 14, 17–18

This word came through Middle English "pyle" and Old French "pile" from Latin "pīla," meaning "pillar" or "pier."

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

  • Pile derives through Middle English pyle and Old French pile from Latin pīla, meaning pillar or pier. en.wiktionary.org
Meanings 6, 13, 16

This word came through Old English "pīl" and Proto-West Germanic "*pīl" from Latin "pīlum," meaning "heavy javelin." It is related to Dutch "pijl" and German "Pfeil."

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

Meaning 9

This word probably comes from Latin "pila" ("ball"), though it has also been traced to Late Latin "pilus."

Meanings 5, 12

Latin pilus ("hair") is the root. It reached Middle English pile partly directly and partly through Anglo-Norman pil, another form of peil or poil ("hair").

Meaning 15

The sense goes back to Alessandro Volta's first battery of 1800, the voltaic pile, a stack of alternating metal discs. French still calls an everyday battery a pile; in English the sense is now historical.