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

: accumulation

Synonyms

• accretion
• accumulation
• assemblage
• collection
• cumulation
• cumulus
• gathering
• lodgment
• lodgement

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

As President Donald Trump looks to imprint his agenda despite a pileup of courtroom setbacks, he’s being urged to work more with his GOP friends in Congress. —Haisten Willis, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 26 Mar. 2025

The first stretch to close in western Kansas was also impacted by last week's high winds when eight people died after a dust storm resulted in a pileup of 71 cars and trucks. —TIME, 20 Mar. 2025

Eight people died after a dust storm resulted in a pileup of 71 cars and trucks. —arkansasonline.com, 19 Mar. 2025

Federal investigators are probing a deadly pileup inside a Wyoming interstate tunnel that will shut down part of a core coast-to-coast roadway for days, officials said Saturday. —Erick Mendoza, NBC News, 15 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1900, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for pileup

• buttercup
• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup