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 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
When conditions are just right, these pileups mash the nuclei together, creating a very temporary new superheavy atom moving at nearly 600,000 meters per second.
—Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 14 May 2024
Prosecutors claim the pileup created a debris field stretching approximately 300 feet.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 3 May 2024
The deadliest crash in Wisconsin history occurred in 2002 on Interstate 43 in Sheboygan County, when 10 people died in a 45-vehicle pileup on a foggy day.
—Hope Karnopp, Journal Sentinel, 10 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for pileup 
Jenna Carlesso, Hartford Courant, 4 June 2024
When conditions are just right, these pileups mash the nuclei together, creating a very temporary new superheavy atom moving at nearly 600,000 meters per second.
—Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 14 May 2024
Prosecutors claim the pileup created a debris field stretching approximately 300 feet.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 3 May 2024
The deadliest crash in Wisconsin history occurred in 2002 on Interstate 43 in Sheboygan County, when 10 people died in a 45-vehicle pileup on a foggy day.
—Hope Karnopp, Journal Sentinel, 10 Mar. 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 7 Jul. 2024.
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