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pile¹ Definition

pile (pīl)

noun

  1. a mass of things heaped together; heap
  2. a heap of wood or other combustible material on which a corpse or sacrifice is burned
  3. a large building or group of buildings
  4. Informal
    1. a large amount or number
    2. ☆ a lot of money; fortune
  5. Elec. a voltaic pile or any other similar device that produces an electric current; battery
  6. nuclear reactor

Etymology: ME < MFr < L pila, pillar

transitive verb piled, pil·ing

  1. to put or set in a pile; heap up
  2. to cover with a pile; load
  3. to accumulate
  4. to crash, wreck, etc.

intransitive verb

  1. to form a pile or heap
  2. to move in a mass; crowd: with in, into, out, on, off, etc.
  3. to crash (into)

pile² Definition

pile (pīl)

noun

  1. a soft, velvety, raised surface on a rug, fabric, etc., produced by making yarn loops on the body of the material and, often, shearing them
  2. soft, fine hair, as on wool, fur, etc.

Etymology: ME pile, bird's down < L pilus, hair < IE base *pilo- > L pila, ball, Gr pilos, felt

pile² Related Forms
piled adjective
pile³ Definition

pile (pīl)

noun

  1. a long, heavy timber or beam driven into the ground, sometimes under water, to support a bridge, dock, etc.
  2. any similar supporting member, as of concrete
  3. Heraldry a wedge-shaped bearing with the point usually downward

Etymology: ME pil < OE, akin to Ger pfeil < WGmc borrowing < L pilum, javelin

transitive verb piled, pil·ing

  1. to drive piles into
  2. to support or strengthen with piles

pile Synonyms

pile

n.

  1. A heap

    collection, mass, quantity; see heap.

  2. *Money

    affluence, riches, dough*; see wealth 2.

pile Synonyms

pile

v.

  1. To amass

    hoard, store, gather; see accumulate 1.

  2. To place one upon another

    rank, stack, bunch; see heap 1.

pile Usage Examples

Object

  • rig: The southern end of the site - two piling rigs are being used.

Converse of object

  • totter: All this is a great tottering pile balanced on a ball, a ball that is about to start rolling downhill.

Preposition: on

  • pound: How can I survive special events without piling on the pounds?

Adjective modifier

  • bored: A piling company is to install bored piles in clay.
  • neat: There, resting at the bottom of the case, was a neat pile of CDs.
  • huge: He has just a week to deliver a huge pile of food to Vincent the bear's cave otherwise Vincent will eat RJ alive.

Modifies a noun

  • carpet: She designed the interior rooms with Roman columns imported from Italy, deep pile carpets and ceilings swathed in 300 meters of fabric.
  • rug: Do not use this method for anything other than wool pile rugs.

Noun used with modifier

  • slush: For example, John Jarrold bought only two unsolicited novels from the slush pile in the last 7 years.
  • shag: It's the 1970s - Twiglets, flares and shag pile carpet.
  • boulder: The rift drops over jammed boulders to a mud floored boulder pile sloping downstream to a roaring streamway all of 2 meters long.
  • outgrade: Reports do suggest that there are fewer outgrade piles around this season.
  • rubble: If you put small log and rubble piles near a pond that will provide hibernation habitat for amphibians.
  • manure: Otherwise, we will be thrown out to a worse place than the manure pile.

Preposition: of

  • rubble: There were piles of rubble on this other track, some of which may have been wartime.
  • rubbish: DEVELOPMENT: Leader: What a pile of rubbish!
  • poo: Gary Saunders, Southampton I don't think the CityRover is a " pile of poo " .
  • crap: I wouldn't even be surprised to discover whoever designed this pile of crap is a scaffolder by trade.
  • junk: Gathering small piles of junk together gives one large pile of junk.
pile Quotes

Thou art not, Penshurst, built to envious show Of touch or marble, nor canst boast a row Of polished pillars, or a roof of gold; Thou hast no lantern whereof tales are told, Or stair, or courts; but standst an ancient pile, And these grudged at, art reverenced the while.

—Jonson, Ben

Browse dictionary entries near pile

  1. Pilcomayo
  2. pilchard
  3. pilau
  4. Pilate
  5. pilaster
  6. pilaf
  7. pikestaff
  8. Pikes Peak
  9. piker
  10. pikeperch
  1. pileate
  2. pileated woodpecker
  3. piled
  4. pileous
  5. piles
  6. pileum
  7. pileup
  8. pileus
  9. pilewort
  10. pilfer