pile Definition - English Dictionary | pile Explanations and Pronunciations

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.

The word "pile" is used specifically to mean the column of superposed electrodes, such as that of Volta or Zamboni.

I climbed through, and, standing on a pile of stones, lifted and dragged Cleopatra after me.

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.

A funeral pile; a pyre.

(transitive) To lay or throw into a pile or heap; to heap up; to collect into a mass; to accumulate; to amass; — often with up; as, to pile up wood.

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.

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.

More Examples

Used in the Middle of Sentence
- He had books piled from floor to ceiling. He left yesterday from Chicago. Face away from the wall! ‎
- The kids piled up their boots and coats by the back door. ‎
- We don't have much time. Let's get to work piling up those sandbags. ‎
Used in the Beginning of Sentence
- Piles were sunk into the river to support the bridge.
Used in the Ending of Sentence
- There's a lot in that wash: maybe you should split it into two piles.

pile meaning