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
This mountain range, and the entire region, is filled with faults generated by that epic geological pileup.
—
Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 28 Mar. 2025
According to spokesperson Paxton, two people died in the pileup involving more than 20 vehicles, including several tractor-trailers and 13 passenger vehicles, per USA Today.
—Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 23 Mar. 2025
In Kansas, a deadly highway pileup involving at least 50 vehicles left eight people dead, while three others lost their lives in crashes caused by blinding dust near Amarillo, Texas.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 17 Mar. 2025
Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin stopped three shots during a pair of frantic pileups in the crease before New York won a faceoff and Simon Holmstrom scored an empty netter from his own end with 6.3 seconds left.
—Miami Herald, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pileup
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Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 28 Mar. 2025
According to spokesperson Paxton, two people died in the pileup involving more than 20 vehicles, including several tractor-trailers and 13 passenger vehicles, per USA Today.
—Charlotte Phillipp, People.com, 23 Mar. 2025
In Kansas, a deadly highway pileup involving at least 50 vehicles left eight people dead, while three others lost their lives in crashes caused by blinding dust near Amarillo, Texas.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 17 Mar. 2025
Islanders goalie Ilya Sorokin stopped three shots during a pair of frantic pileups in the crease before New York won a faceoff and Simon Holmstrom scored an empty netter from his own end with 6.3 seconds left.
—Miami Herald, 17 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 26 Apr. 2025.
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