pile on

phrasal verb

piled on; piling on; piles on
US, informal
: to join other people in criticizing something or someone in usually an unfair way
After the first few negative reviews, all the other critics started piling on.

Examples of pile on in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Election 2024 recap:Dems pile on Trump's 'violent rhetoric' Sign-up for Your Vote: Text with the USA TODAY elections team. Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 2 Nov. 2024 Wiggins, in his first game back after missing the previous two, kept piling on — first with his second 3 of the game and then by hitting Draymond Green with a cross-court advance pass for a bucket. Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 2 Nov. 2024 Cinemark, the nation’s third-largest theater chain, and smaller Marcus Theatres piled on strong financial results Thursday after sunny numbers from Imax on Wednesda –, all bright notes amid ongoing box office uncertainty. Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 31 Oct. 2024 Following a grand slam by the Yankees’ Anthony Volpe in the third, which made Kanno hang his head and groan, New York was piling on the runs to make the score 11-4, seemingly hell-bent on avoiding a sweep. Max Kim, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for pile on 

Dictionary Entries Near pile on

Cite this Entry

“Pile on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pile%20on. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!