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
Synonyms
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
The rest is a strictly routine pileup of car crashes, shoot-outs and wisecracks.
—
David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 July 2024
If you’re stressed out by a pileup of past notifications, clear those out as well.
—Danielle Abril, Washington Post, 24 June 2024
Rice is currently facing charges for a March hit-and-run crash in Dallas where his Lamborghini crashed into his friend’s Corvette while driving 119 mph, leading to a six-car pileup and at least four injuries.
—David Matthews, New York Daily News, 7 May 2024
The pandemic and a wave of retirements in the agency’s Facility Licensing and Investigations Section contributed to the complaint pileup.
—Jenna Carlesso, Hartford Courant, 4 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for pileup 
David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 2 July 2024
If you’re stressed out by a pileup of past notifications, clear those out as well.
—Danielle Abril, Washington Post, 24 June 2024
Rice is currently facing charges for a March hit-and-run crash in Dallas where his Lamborghini crashed into his friend’s Corvette while driving 119 mph, leading to a six-car pileup and at least four injuries.
—David Matthews, New York Daily News, 7 May 2024
The pandemic and a wave of retirements in the agency’s Facility Licensing and Investigations Section contributed to the complaint pileup.
—Jenna Carlesso, Hartford Courant, 4 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for pileup
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pileup.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near pileup
Cite this Entry
“Pileup.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pileup. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
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