pile

noun

/paɪl/

see also pilesIdioms

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[countable] a number of things that have been placed on top of each other
- pile of something a pile of clothes/paper
- I found it in a pile of documents on his desk.
- in/into a pile The hats were stacked in neat piles.
- I've sorted the books into three separate piles.
Extra Examples
- He arranged the documents in neat piles.
- He was busy behind a pile of papers on his desk.
- I grabbed a shirt from the top of the pile.
- I leafed through the pile of documents until I found the one I wanted.
- I pulled my diary from beneath a pile of files.
- I put the letter in the envelope and placed it on the pile.
- I sorted the clothes into two piles.
- Just add that application to the pile.
- She closed the magazine and threw it back on the pile.
- The clothes were in a pile on the floor.
- The money lay amid a pile of unopened letters.
- She was sorting the books into piles.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- big
- enormous
- great
- …
verb + pile
- place something in/into/on
- put something in/into/on
- dump
- …
preposition
- amid a/the pile
- behind a/the pile
- beneath a/the pile
- …
phrases
- be reduced to a pile of something
- the bottom of the pile
- the top of the pile
- …
See full entry
[countable] a mass of something that is high in the middle and wider at the bottom than at the top synonym heap
- pile of something piles of dirty washing
- The house was reduced to a pile of rubble.
- He threw the remaining stones onto the pile.
Extra Examples
- He was spreading a small pile of manure around the strawberry plants.
- The body was hidden under a pile of leaves.
- There was a pile of dirty on the floor.
- He dumped a pile of dirty clothes onto the floor.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- big
- enormous
- great
- …
verb + pile
- place something in/into/on
- put something in/into/on
- dump
- …
preposition
- amid a/the pile
- behind a/the pile
- beneath a/the pile
- …
phrases
- be reduced to a pile of something
- the bottom of the pile
- the top of the pile
- …
See full entry
[countable, usually plural] pile of something (informal) a lot of something
- He made a pile of cash on the sale of his house.
- He walked out leaving a pile of debt behind him.
- I have got piles of work to do.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- big
- enormous
- great
- …
verb + pile
- place something in/into/on
- put something in/into/on
- dump
- …
preposition
- amid a/the pile
- behind a/the pile
- beneath a/the pile
- …
phrases
- be reduced to a pile of something
- the bottom of the pile
- the top of the pile
- …
See full entry
[uncountable, singular] the short threads, pieces of wool, etc. that form the soft surface of carpets and some types of cloth such as velvet
- a deep-pile carpet
- Corduroy is the poor man’s velvet; its pile is made of cotton rather than silk or satin.
[countable] a large wooden, metal or stone post that is fixed into the ground and used to support a building, bridge, etc.
[countable] (formal or humorous) a large impressive building
- a Victorian pile built as a private hospital
- her family's ancestral pile
Topics Houses and homesc2

Word Originnoun senses 1 to 3, noun sense 6 late Middle English: from Old French, from Latin pila ‘pillar, pier’. noun sense 5 Old English pīl ‘dart, arrow’, also ‘pointed stake’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch pijl and German Pfeil, from Latin pilum ‘(heavy) javelin’. noun sense 4 Middle English (in the sense ‘downy feather’): from Latin pilus ‘hair’. The current sense dates from the mid 16th cent.

Idioms

(at the) bottom/top of the pile

in the least/most important position in a group of people or things
- It’s been 20 years since a British player was top of the pile.
- The government is doing little to help those on the bottom of the social pile.

make a/your pile

(informal) to make a lot of money
- The family made its pile from oil.
- I bet they made an absolute pile out of the deal.

pile

verb

/paɪl/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they pile	/paɪl/ /paɪl/
he / she / it piles	/paɪlz/ /paɪlz/
past simple piled	/paɪld/ /paɪld/
past participle piled	/paɪld/ /paɪld/
-ing form piling	/ˈpaɪlɪŋ/ /ˈpaɪlɪŋ/

Idioms Phrasal Verbs

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[transitive] to put things one on top of another; to form a pile
- pile something She piled the boxes one on top of the other.
- The clothes were piled high on the chair.
- pile something up Snow was piled up against the door.
- We piled the boxes up neatly.
- pile something + adv./prep. We piled sandbags against the doors.
- She was sitting at her desk with books piled around her.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- neatly
- haphazardly
- up
- …
preposition
- against
- on
- onto
- …
phrases
- piled high
See full entry
[transitive] to put something on/into something; to load something with something
- pile A with B The sofa was piled high with cushions.
- He piled his plate with as much food as he could.
- pile B on(to) A He piled as much food as he could onto his plate.
- pile B in(to) A She piled everything into her suitcase.
see also stockpile
Extra Examples
- She piled food onto our plates.
- a table piled high with magazines
- They piled stones on top of the mound.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- neatly
- haphazardly
- up
- …
preposition
- against
- on
- onto
- …
phrases
- piled high
See full entry
[intransitive] + adv./prep. (informal) (of a number of people) to go somewhere quickly without order or control
- The coach finally arrived and we all piled on.
- Children were piling out of the school bus.
- The bell rang and kids started piling into the classroom.

Word Originverb ,late Middle English: from Old French, from Latin pila ‘pillar, pier’.

Idioms

pile on the agony/gloom

(especially British English, informal) to make an unpleasant situation worse
- Bosses piled on the agony with threats of more job losses.