Dictionary

pile en · NOUN · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /paɪl/

Etymology

From Middle English pyle, from Old French pile, from Latin pīla (“pillar, pier”).

Meanings

1. (collective) A mass of things heaped together; a heap.
   • Containerization is a long overdue step in bringing our city’s trash collection into the modern era, putting an end to the piles of garbage that have become far too common across our city. 2026 April 17, Julia Kerson, quotee, “Mayor Mamdani Takes Major Step Toward Citywide Trash Containerization, Announces Six New Districts”, in NYC.gov, archived from the original on 03 Jul 2026:
   • I climbed through, and, standing on a pile of stones, lifted and dragged Cleopatra after me. 1889, H. Rider Haggard, Cleopatra^(http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Cleopatra_(Haggard)/Book_II/Chapter_XI), Book II: The Fall of Harmachis, →ISBN, Chapter XI:
2. (informal) A group or list of related items up for consideration, especially in some kind of selection process.
   • When we were looking for a new housemate, we put the nice woman on the "maybe" pile, and the annoying guy on the "no" pile.
3. A mass formed in layers.
   • a pile of shot
4. A funeral pile; a pyre.
   • Jove with a Nod, comply'd with her Deſire; / Around the Body flam'd the Funeral Fire; / The Pile decreas'd that lately ſeem'd ſo high, / And Sheets of Smoak roll'd upward to the Sky: [...] 1717, Samuel Croxall, “Book XIII. [The Funeral of Memnon.]”, in Ovid’s Metamorphoses in Fifteen Books. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, page 463:
5. (slang) A large amount of money.
   • When they are at work they live most frugally, denying themselves every comfort and luxury till they have made a "pile." 1887, Harriet W. Daly, Digging, Squatting, and Pioneering Life in the Northern Territory of South Australia, page 192:
   • He made a pile from that invention of his.
6. A large building, or mass of buildings.
   • It was dark when the four-wheeled cab wherein he had brought Avice from the station stood at the entrance to the pile of flats of which Pierston occupied one floor[…] 1892, Thomas Hardy, The Well-Beloved:
   • The pile is of a gloomy and massive, rather than of an elegant, style of Gothic architecture; […] 1817 December 31 (indicated as 1818), [Walter Scott], chapter VI, in Rob Roy. […], volume II, Edinburgh: […] James Ballantyne and Co. for Archibald Constable and Co. […]; London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, →OCLC, page 124:
   • He [Winston Churchill] was born at Blenheim Palace, that Oxfordshire pile built for his ancestor John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, who also knew a thing or two about warfare. 2021 September 22, Stephen Roberts, “The writings on the wall...”, in RAIL, number 940, page 75:
   • The pile o'erlooked the town and drew the fight. 1697, Virgil, “(please specify the book number)”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC:
7. A bundle of pieces of wrought iron to be worked over into bars or other shapes by rolling or hammering at a welding heat; a fagot.
8. A vertical series of alternate disks of two dissimilar metals (especially copper and zinc), laid up with disks of cloth or paper moistened with acid water between them, for producing a current of electricity; a voltaic pile, or galvanic pile.
   • The word "pile" is used specifically to mean the column of superposed electrodes, such as that of Volta or Zamboni. 1893, Benjamin Park, The Voltaic Cell: Its Construction and Its Capacity, page 14:
9. A beam, pole, or pillar, driven completely into the ground, usually as one of a group that constitutes a foundation.
10. An atomic pile; an early form of nuclear reactor.
11. (obsolete) The reverse (or tails) of a coin.
12. A list or league
    • And the moment it thumped into the net, Celtic’s march back to the top of the SPL pile also seemed unstoppable. 2011 December 29, Keith Jackson, “SPL: Celtic 1 Rangers 0”, in Daily Record:
    • Watch Harlequins train and you get some idea of why they are back on top of the pile going into Saturday's rerun of last season's grand final against Leicester. 2012 September 20, Shaun Edwards, “Bent double and lungs burning – how Harlequins train for trophies”, in The Guardian (online):

Forms

Coordinates

pier · stilt

Deriveds

piledriver · mispile · pilewise · dustpile · death pile · pile-driving · woodpile · leafpile · slash pile · polypile · Bunsen pile · gangpile · unpile · shitpile · book piles · pile of crap · pile of cunt · pig pile · sandpile · nuclear pile · pile of shit · pilework · rockpile · dogpile · at the bottom of the pile · micropile · Zamboni pile · go the whole pile · pile foundation · stockpile · muscular pile · funeral pile · uppile · rubble pile · slush pile · snowpile · pile driver · three-pile · pilement · pileworm · slushpile · overpile · piledrive · facepile · junkpile · make a pile · subpile · pile of poo · Volta's pile · turdpile · pile dwelling · wastepile · piler · hook-and-pile fastener · shagpile · atomic pile · pile shoe · biopile · monopile · puppy pile · cross and pile · helical pile · pile bridge · pileless · pily · pile of shame · repile · at the top of the pile

Descendants

paila

Synonyms

mint · small fortune · bundle

Translations (153)

pl stos (mass of things heaped together; heap) · haw paila (mass of things heaped together; heap) · fr tas (mass of things heaped together; heap) · izh koko (mass of things heaped together; heap) · cs komínek (mass formed in layers) · id tumpukan (mass of things heaped together; heap) · hu rakás (mass of things heaped together; heap) · hy շեղջ (mass of things heaped together; heap) · es hacina (mass of things heaped together; heap) · ca pila (mass of things heaped together; heap) · no haug (mass of things heaped together; heap) · es tongada (mass of things heaped together; heap) · lt krūvà (mass of things heaped together; heap) · es pila (mass of things heaped together; heap) · es cúmulo (mass of things heaped together; heap) · pt monte (desordenado) (mass of things heaped together; heap) · wa moncea (mass of things heaped together; heap) · sv hög (mass of things heaped together; heap) · nl stapel (mass of things heaped together; heap) · de Beige (mass of things heaped together; heap) · es rimero (mass of things heaped together; heap) · cs štos (mass formed in layers) · sa राशि (mass of things heaped together; heap) · cs halda (mass of things heaped together; heap) · eo amaso (mass of things heaped together; heap) · hu galvántelep (vertical series of alternate disks of two dissimilar metals, laid up with disks of cloth or paper moistened with acid water between them, for producing a current of electricity; voltaic pile or galvanic pile) · it mucchio (group or list of related items) · fa کپه (mass of things heaped together; heap) · da dynge (mass of things heaped together; heap) · es conjunto (large building, or mass of buildings) · grc θίς (mass of things heaped together; heap) · ota ییغین (mass formed in layers) · es rima (mass of things heaped together; heap) · it mucchio (mass of things heaped together; heap) · it lista (group or list of related items) · arz كومة (mass of things heaped together; heap) · it ammasso (large building, or mass of buildings) · hu nagy épület (large building, or mass of buildings) · uk ку́па (mass of things heaped together; heap) · ar كَوْم (mass of things heaped together; heap) · mhr курык (mass of things heaped together; heap) · gur gilgo (mass of things heaped together; heap) · fr pile (mass formed in layers) · cs hromada (mass of things heaped together; heap) · cs palác (large building, or mass of buildings) · ja 積み重ね (mass of things heaped together; heap) · hu elem (vertical series of alternate disks of two dissimilar metals, laid up with disks of cloth or paper moistened with acid water between them, for producing a current of electricity; voltaic pile or galvanic pile) · hu cölöp (architecture, civil engineering: beam, pole, or pillar, driven completely into the ground) · fa کوت (mass of things heaped together; heap) · bg куп (mass of things heaped together; heap) · om tuuluu (mass of things heaped together; heap) · hy զանգված (mass of things heaped together; heap) · it catasta (mass formed in layers) · pl sterta (mass of things heaped together; heap) · hu nagy vagyon ((slang in English) large amount of money) · pt pilha (mass of things heaped together; heap) · cs pilíř (architecture, civil engineering: beam, pole, or pillar, driven completely into the ground) · de Stoß (mass of things heaped together; heap) · bg камара (mass of things heaped together; heap) · fi kasa (mass formed in layers) · cs kupa (mass of things heaped together; heap) · hu oszlop (vertical series of alternate disks of two dissimilar metals, laid up with disks of cloth or paper moistened with acid water between them, for producing a current of electricity; voltaic pile or galvanic pile) · fr pile (vertical series of alternate disks of two dissimilar metals, laid up with disks of cloth or paper moistened with acid water between them, for producing a current of electricity; voltaic pile or galvanic pile) · de Stapel (mass of things heaped together; heap) · la struēs (mass of things heaped together; heap) · tr yığın (mass of things heaped together; heap) · grc σώρευμα (mass of things heaped together; heap) · hu köteg (mass of things heaped together; heap) · ru ку́ча (mass of things heaped together; heap) · lt kaũpas (mass of things heaped together; heap) · izh mytty (mass of things heaped together; heap) · sa निचय (mass of things heaped together; heap) · de Halde (mass of things heaped together; heap) · hu csoport (group or list of related items) · de Haufen (mass of things heaped together; heap) · ja 山 (mass of things heaped together; heap) · eo stako (mass of things heaped together; heap) · ota ییغین (mass of things heaped together; heap) · fi pino (group or list of related items) · fi paristo (vertical series of alternate disks of two dissimilar metals, laid up with disks of cloth or paper moistened with acid water between them, for producing a current of electricity; voltaic pile or galvanic pile) · fr pile (mass of things heaped together; heap) · gur kuko (mass of things heaped together; heap) · it catasta (mass of things heaped together; heap) · fi läjä (mass formed in layers) · hu telep (vertical series of alternate disks of two dissimilar metals, laid up with disks of cloth or paper moistened with acid water between them, for producing a current of electricity; voltaic pile or galvanic pile) · he עֲרֵמָה (mass of things heaped together; heap) · fa توده (mass of things heaped together; heap) · it pila (mass formed in layers) · ca pila (vertical series of alternate disks of two dissimilar metals, laid up with disks of cloth or paper moistened with acid water between them, for producing a current of electricity; voltaic pile or galvanic pile) · es montón (mass of things heaped together; heap) · ru сто́пка (mass of things heaped together; heap) · it elenco (group or list of related items) · ary عرام (mass of things heaped together; heap) · tr yığmak (mass of things heaped together; heap) · ru гру́да (mass of things heaped together; heap) · ru сва́я (architecture, civil engineering: beam, pole, or pillar, driven completely into the ground) · el σωρός (mass of things heaped together; heap) · ga cual (mass of things heaped together; heap) · fi pino (mass of things heaped together; heap) · hu Volta-oszlop (vertical series of alternate disks of two dissimilar metals, laid up with disks of cloth or paper moistened with acid water between them, for producing a current of electricity; voltaic pile or galvanic pile) · fi kasa (group or list of related items) · ang hēap (mass of things heaped together; heap) · no stabel (mass of things heaped together; heap) · ko 무더기 (mass of things heaped together; heap) · it gruppo (group or list of related items) · cs honosné sídlo (large building, or mass of buildings) · hu karó (architecture, civil engineering: beam, pole, or pillar, driven completely into the ground) · hu halom (group or list of related items) · wa pile (mass of things heaped together; heap) · it pila (vertical series of alternate disks of two dissimilar metals, laid up with disks of cloth or paper moistened with acid water between them, for producing a current of electricity; voltaic pile or galvanic pile) · ru гальвани́ческий элеме́нт (vertical series of alternate disks of two dissimilar metals, laid up with disks of cloth or paper moistened with acid water between them, for producing a current of electricity; voltaic pile or galvanic pile) · hu galváncella (vertical series of alternate disks of two dissimilar metals, laid up with disks of cloth or paper moistened with acid water between them, for producing a current of electricity; voltaic pile or galvanic pile) · wa hopea (mass of things heaped together; heap) · ota كومه (mass of things heaped together; heap) · qu pirwa (mass of things heaped together; heap) · cmn 堆 (mass of things heaped together; heap) · fi läjä (mass of things heaped together; heap) · it pila (mass of things heaped together; heap) · no batteri (vertical series of alternate disks of two dissimilar metals, laid up with disks of cloth or paper moistened with acid water between them, for producing a current of electricity; voltaic pile or galvanic pile) · fr monceau (mass of things heaped together; heap) · es tambache (mass of things heaped together; heap) · fi kasa (mass of things heaped together; heap) · hu halom (mass of things heaped together; heap) · es arcina (mass of things heaped together; heap) · it batteria (vertical series of alternate disks of two dissimilar metals, laid up with disks of cloth or paper moistened with acid water between them, for producing a current of electricity; voltaic pile or galvanic pile) · fr pile (group or list of related items) · hy դեզ (mass of things heaped together; heap) · hu galvánoszlop (vertical series of alternate disks of two dissimilar metals, laid up with disks of cloth or paper moistened with acid water between them, for producing a current of electricity; voltaic pile or galvanic pile) · hu galvánelem (vertical series of alternate disks of two dissimilar metals, laid up with disks of cloth or paper moistened with acid water between them, for producing a current of electricity; voltaic pile or galvanic pile) · ota كومه (mass formed in layers) · izh ropja (mass of things heaped together; heap) · es tauca (mass of things heaped together; heap) · hy կույտ (mass of things heaped together; heap) · es pila (vertical series of alternate disks of two dissimilar metals, laid up with disks of cloth or paper moistened with acid water between them, for producing a current of electricity; voltaic pile or galvanic pile) · es tonga (mass of things heaped together; heap) · tr pil (mass of things heaped together; heap) · es haza (mass of things heaped together; heap) · fi röykkiö (mass of things heaped together; heap) · cs pilota (architecture, civil engineering: beam, pole, or pillar, driven completely into the ground) · ro grămadă (mass of things heaped together; heap) · pt pilha (vertical series of alternate disks of two dissimilar metals, laid up with disks of cloth or paper moistened with acid water between them, for producing a current of electricity; voltaic pile or galvanic pile) · es ruma (mass of things heaped together; heap) · it blocco (large building, or mass of buildings) · it ingorgo (mass of things heaped together; heap) · hu nyaláb (mass of things heaped together; heap) · it ammasso (mass of things heaped together; heap) · uga 𐎖𐎎𐎕 (mass of things heaped together; heap) · izh runni (mass of things heaped together; heap) · ga carnán (mass of things heaped together; heap) · la cumulus (mass of things heaped together; heap) · qu qullu (mass of things heaped together; heap) · bg пачка (mass formed in layers) · grc σωρός (mass of things heaped together; heap)

pile en · VERB · etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /paɪl/

Etymology

From Middle English pyle, from Old French pile, from Latin pīla (“pillar, pier”).

Meanings

1. (often, transitive, used with the preposition "up") To lay or throw into a pile or heap; to heap up; to collect into a mass; to accumulate
   • They were piling up wood on the wheelbarrow.
2. (transitive) To cover with heaps; or in great abundance; to fill or overfill; to load.
   • We piled the camel with our loads.
   • Private-equity nabobs bristle at being dubbed mere financiers. Piling debt onto companies’ balance-sheets is only a small part of what leveraged buy-outs are about, they insist. Improving the workings of the businesses they take over is just as core to their calling, if not more so. Much of their pleading is public-relations bluster. 2013 June 22, “Engineers of a different kind”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8841, page 70:
3. (transitive) To add something to a great number.
   • But as the second half wore on, Sunderland piled forward at every opportunity and their relentless pressure looked certain to be rewarded in the closing stages. 2010 December 28, Owen Phillips, “Sunderland 0-2 Blackpool”, in BBC:
4. (transitive) (of vehicles) To create a hold-up.
5. (transitive) To place (guns, muskets, etc.) together in threes so that they can stand upright, supporting each other.
6. (intransitive) To form a pile or heap.
   • Junk piled on the floor as we searched the attic for the old photograph albums.
   • I darted from room to room as the see-through bagless dustbin piled high with shocking amounts of icky-poo. 2007 October 7, S.S. Fair, “Vacuum Packed”, in New York Times:

Forms

Deriveds

pile on the pounds · pile up · pile on · pile in · pile Pelion on Ossa · pile it high, sell it cheap · pile out

Synonyms

accumulate · pile up · pile up · heap (lay or throw into a pile)

Translations (51)

fi kasata (to add something to a great number) · it ammassare (to add something to a great number) · nn samle (to lay or throw into a pile) · de aufstapeln (to lay or throw into a pile) · fi pinota (to lay or throw into a pile) · fi kasata (to overload) · om tuuluu (to lay or throw into a pile) · bg засипвам (to add something to a great number) · ru перегружа́ть (to overload) · de schichten (to lay or throw into a pile) · de beigen (to lay or throw into a pile) · ru зава́ливать (to lay or throw into a pile) · de anhäufen (to lay or throw into a pile) · cs narovnat (to lay or throw into a pile) · de stapeln (to lay or throw into a pile) · ru нагружа́ть (to overload) · fi ruuhkauttaa (to create a hold-up) · qu suk'ay (to lay or throw into a pile) · ko 쌓다 (to lay or throw into a pile) · pt fazer monte desordenado (to lay or throw into a pile) · it ammucchiare (to lay or throw into a pile) · fr empiler (to lay or throw into a pile) · ru завали́ть (to lay or throw into a pile) · ru нагрузи́ть (to overload) · cs dát na hromadu (to lay or throw into a pile) · ru навали́ть (to lay or throw into a pile) · nb samle (to lay or throw into a pile) · pt empilhar (to lay or throw into a pile) · pt fazer pilha (to lay or throw into a pile) · it ammassare (to overload) · it accatastare (to lay or throw into a pile) · bg натоварвам (to overload) · nb stable (to lay or throw into a pile) · fr amasser (to lay or throw into a pile) · it impilare (to lay or throw into a pile) · fi kasata (to lay or throw into a pile) · nn stable (to lay or throw into a pile) · fr faire pile (to lay or throw into a pile) · it creare un ingorgo (to create a hold-up) · fi pinota (to overload) · ru перегрузи́ть (to overload) · grc σωρεύω (to lay or throw into a pile) · qu pirway (to lay or throw into a pile) · cs nakupit (to lay or throw into a pile) · pt pôr em pilha (to lay or throw into a pile) · ru нава́ливать (to lay or throw into a pile) · fr ajouter (to lay or throw into a pile) · bg натрупвам (to lay or throw into a pile) · ca amuntegar (to lay or throw into a pile) · sv stapla (to lay or throw into a pile) · ca fer pila (to lay or throw into a pile)

pile en · NOUN · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /paɪl/

Etymology

From Middle English pile, from Old English pīl, from Proto-West Germanic *pīl, from Latin pīlum (“heavy javelin”). Cognate with Dutch pijl, German Pfeil. Doublet of pilum.

Meanings

1. (obsolete) A dart; an arrow.
2. The head of an arrow or spear.
3. A large stake, or piece of pointed timber, steel etc., driven into the earth or sea-bed for the support of a building, a pier, or other superstructure, or to form a cofferdam, etc.
   • All this time I worked very hard [...] and it is scarce credible what inexpressible labour everything was done with, especially the bringing piles out of the woods and driving them into the ground; for I made them much bigger than I needed to have done. 1719, Daniel Defoe, The Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, 10th edition, published 1864, Chapter VI, page 68:
4. One of the ordinaries or subordinaries having the form of a wedge, usually placed palewise, with the broadest end uppermost.

Forms

Deriveds

pile plank · pile cap · pile driver · sheet pile · screw pile · pile dwelling · pile engine · pneumatic pile · pile bridge

Translations (38)

fi nuolenpää (head of an arrow or spear) · de Keil (heraldry: one of the ordinaries) · it palo (stake of pointed timber, steel etc., driven into the earth) · ru сва́я (stake of pointed timber, steel etc., driven into the earth) · nb påle (stake of pointed timber, steel etc., driven into the earth) · ko 말뚝 (stake of pointed timber, steel etc., driven into the earth) · nb pel (stake of pointed timber, steel etc., driven into the earth) · fi piili (obsolete: dart, arrow) · fi pää (head of an arrow or spear) · it paletto (stake of pointed timber, steel etc., driven into the earth) · fi paalu (stake of pointed timber, steel etc., driven into the earth) · ca pila (heraldry: one of the ordinaries) · bg пилон (stake of pointed timber, steel etc., driven into the earth) · fa ستون (stake of pointed timber, steel etc., driven into the earth) · fa پایه (stake of pointed timber, steel etc., driven into the earth) · mi tumu (stake of pointed timber, steel etc., driven into the earth) · ka თავი (head of an arrow or spear) · es pila (heraldry: one of the ordinaries) · la sublica (stake of pointed timber, steel etc., driven into the earth) · it pila (heraldry: one of the ordinaries) · ru наконе́чник (head of an arrow or spear) · cs kůl (stake of pointed timber, steel etc., driven into the earth) · bg кол (stake of pointed timber, steel etc., driven into the earth) · nn påle (stake of pointed timber, steel etc., driven into the earth) · fr pieu (stake of pointed timber, steel etc., driven into the earth) · sv kil (heraldry: one of the ordinaries) · fi kärki (head of an arrow or spear) · it punta (head of an arrow or spear) · kk қада (stake of pointed timber, steel etc., driven into the earth) · cs klín (heraldry: one of the ordinaries) · cmn 桩 (stake of pointed timber, steel etc., driven into the earth) · fi kärki (heraldry: one of the ordinaries) · fi keihäänkärki (head of an arrow or spear) · fr pile (heraldry: one of the ordinaries) · de Pfahl (stake of pointed timber, steel etc., driven into the earth) · pt pila (heraldry: one of the ordinaries) · nl punt (heraldry: one of the ordinaries) · fa نوک (head of an arrow or spear)

pile en · VERB · etymology 2

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /paɪl/

Etymology

From Middle English pile, from Old English pīl, from Proto-West Germanic *pīl, from Latin pīlum (“heavy javelin”). Cognate with Dutch pijl, German Pfeil. Doublet of pilum.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To drive piles into; to fill with piles; to strengthen with piles.

Forms

Translations (6)

it ammucchiare (to drive piles into) · it ammassare (to drive piles into) · cmn 打桩 (to drive piles into) · it accatastare (to drive piles into) · bg забивам (to drive piles into) · fi paaluttaa (to drive piles into)

pile en · NOUN · etymology 3

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /paɪl/

Etymology

Apparently from Late Latin pilus. Doublet of pilus.

Meanings

1. (plural-normally) A hemorrhoid.

Forms

pile en · NOUN · etymology 4

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /paɪl/

Etymology

From Middle English pile, partly from Anglo-Norman pil (a variant of peil, poil (“hair”)) and partly from its source, Latin pilus (“hair”). Doublet of pilus.

Meanings

1. (countable, uncountable) Hair, especially when very fine or short; the fine underfur of certain animals. (Formerly countable, now treated as a collective singular.)
2. (countable, uncountable) The raised hairs, loops or strands of a fabric; the nap of a cloth.
   • Velvet soft, or plush with shaggy pile. 1785, William Cowper, The Task:

Forms

Deriveds

knotted pile · velvet pile · deep pile carpet

Translations (8)

fi haiven (fine or short hair) · fi aluskarva (fine or short hair) · it lanugine (fine or short hair) · it pelucco (fine or short hair) · it peluria (fine or short hair) · ga caitín (fine or short hair) · pt madeixa (fine or short hair) · bg пух (fine or short hair)

pile en · VERB · etymology 4

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /paɪl/

Etymology

From Middle English pile, partly from Anglo-Norman pil (a variant of peil, poil (“hair”)) and partly from its source, Latin pilus (“hair”). Doublet of pilus.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To give a pile to; to make shaggy.

Forms

pile en · NOUN · etymology 5

Pronunciation

• (US) audio
• /paɪl/

Etymology

From French pile (“battery”), with the pronunciation adapted to the existing English word pile. Doublet of Etymology 1, which may have influenced the sense development by emphasizing the stack (“pile”) out of which early batteries were made.

Meanings

1. (historical) A battery (simple device for converting chemical potential energy into usable electricity).
2. (historical) A battery (simple device for converting chemical potential energy into usable electricity). ▸ A battery consisting of repeated units of alternating types of metal; voltaic pile.

Forms

Deriveds

thermopile · thermoelectric pile · voltaic pile