pile

pile1 [ paıl ] noun **

▸ 1 things put on things

▸ 2 large amount of something

▸ 3 surface of cloth/carpet

▸ 4 piling

▸ 5 hemorrhoids

▸ 6 very large old building

▸ + PHRASES

1. ) count a number of things put on top of each other:

She sorted her clothes into neat piles.

pile of: a pile of books and papers

a ) a lot of things that have been put or have fallen together in an untidy way:

The garbage lay in piles on the street.

pile of: The old house had been demolished, and there was nothing left but a pile of bricks.

2. ) often plural INFORMAL a large amount of something:

I have to do piles of work before lunchtime.

a ) singular a large amount of money:

He made a pile from his investments.

3. ) singular or uncount the surface of a carpet or cloth, formed by the ends of fibers that have been cut

4. ) count a large strong post that is driven into the ground to support a building or other structure

5. ) piles plural INFORMAL HEMORRHOIDS

6. ) count MAINLY BRITISH INFORMAL a very large old house or other building

the bottom/top of the pile

the last or first in status, income or advantages:

Welfare cuts have reduced the income of those at the bottom of the pile.

pile

pile 2 [ paıl ] verb *

1. ) pile or pile up transitive to put a large number of things on top of each other:

A group of boys were piling branches next to the tents.

The books were still there, neatly piled in the room.

piled (high) with something: a table piled high with food

a ) to put a large amount of something somewhere:

Pile the cheese onto the potatoes.

a huge plate piled high with spaghetti

b ) if a woman's hair is piled up, it is fastened to the top of her head rather than hanging down:

Her dark hair was piled high on the crown of her head.

2. ) intransitive if things pile somewhere, they gather there in a group:

Leaves blew across the yard, piling against the fence.

,pile `in phrasal verb intransitive

to enter a place in large numbers, especially in a way that is not organized:

They opened the doors and all fifteen of us piled in.

,pile `into phrasal verb transitive

pile into something to get into a place or something such as a car, especially in large numbers or in a way that is not organized:

Four huge men piled into the back of the car.

,pile `on phrasal verb intransitive

to increase something by a large amount or do it a lot:

pile on the pressure: The U.N. is piling on the pressure and the two sides may both have to withdraw.

a team that never fails to pile on the action

,pile `out phrasal verb intransitive INFORMAL

to leave a place in large numbers, especially in a way that is not organized:

People began piling out of the house.

,pile `up phrasal verb

1. ) transitive same as PILE 2 1:

Newspapers and magazines were piled up on the floor.

2. ) intransitive or transitive if something piles up or someone piles it up, the amount of it increases a lot:

All the time the bills were piling up.

These policies could be piling up financial trouble for future governments.