pile

pile
[[t]pa͟ɪl[/t]]
♦♦♦
piles, piling, piled
1) N-COUNT: usu N of n A pile of things is a mass of them that is high in the middle and has sloping sides.

...a pile of sand.

...a little pile of crumbs...

The leaves had been swept into huge piles.

Syn:
heap, mound
2) N-COUNT: usu N of n A pile of things is a quantity of things that have been put neatly somewhere so that each thing is on top of the one below.

...a pile of boxes...

We sat in Sam's study, among the piles of books...

The clothes were folded in a neat pile.

Syn:
3) VERB If you pile things somewhere, you put them there so that they form a pile.

[V n adv/prep] He was piling clothes into the suitcase...

[V n adv/prep] A few newspapers and magazines were piled on a table.

Syn:
4) VERB: usu passive If something is piled with things, it is covered or filled with piles of things.

[be V-ed with n] Tables were piled high with local produce.

[be V-ed with n] ...trucks piled with luggage.

Syn:
heap, stack
5) QUANT: QUANT of pl-n/n-uncount If you talk about a pile of something or piles of something, you mean a large amount of it. [INFORMAL]

I've got a pile of questions afterwards for you.

...a whole pile of disasters.

Syn:
stacks, heaps
6) VERB If a group of people pile into or out of a vehicle, they all get into it or out of it in a disorganized way.

[V into/out of n] They all piled into Jerrold's car...

[V in/out] A fleet of police cars suddenly arrived. Dozens of officers piled out.

7) N-COUNT You can refer to a large impressive building as a pile, especially when it is the home of a rich important person.

...some stately pile in the country.

8) N-COUNT: usu pl Piles are wooden, concrete, or metal posts which are pushed into the ground and on which buildings or bridges are built. Piles are often used in very wet areas so that the buildings do not flood.

...settlements of wooden houses, set on piles along the shore.

Syn:
9) N-PLURAL Piles are painful swellings that can appear in the veins inside a person's anus.
Syn:
haemorrhoids
10) N-SING The pile of a carpet or of a fabric such as velvet is its soft surface. It consists of a lot of little threads standing on end.

...the carpet's thick pile.

11) PHRASE: oft v-link PHR Someone who is at the bottom of the pile is low down in society or low down in an organization. Someone who is at the top of the pile is high up in society or high up in an organization. [INFORMAL]
Phrasal Verbs:

English dictionary. 2008.

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Synonyms:
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Look at other dictionaries:

  • pile — pile …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • pilé — pilé …   Dictionnaire des rimes

  • pile — 1. (pi l ) s. f. 1°   Amas de choses placées les unes sur les autres. •   Leurs débris sont couverts d une pile de morts, MAIRET Mort d Asdrub. I, 3. •   Ils [la famille de M. le Prince] eurent tant de peur qu on ne s excusât faute de manteaux,… …   Dictionnaire de la Langue Française d'Émile Littré

  • Pile — Pile, n. [F. pile, L. pila a pillar, a pier or mole of stone. Cf. {Pillar}.] 1. A mass of things heaped together; a heap; as, a pile of stones; a pile of wood. [1913 Webster] 2. A mass formed in layers; as, a pile of shot. [1913 Webster] 3. A… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Pile — Pile, n. [AS. p[=i]l arrow, stake, L. pilum javelin; but cf. also L. pila pillar.] 1. A large stake, or piece of timber, pointed and driven into the earth, as at the bottom of a river, or in a harbor where the ground is soft, for the support of a …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Pile — may refer to:*Pile foundation, type of deep foundation *Pile (textile), fabric with raised surface made of upright loops or strands of yarn ** Carpet pile * Nuclear pile, early term for a nuclear reactor, typically one constructed of graphite *… …   Wikipedia

  • Pile — ist der Name mehrerer Personen: Frederick Alfred Pile (1884–1976), britischer General im zweiten Weltkrieg William Anderson Pile (1829–1889), US amerikanischer General und Politiker Pile bezeichnet außerdem: Chicago Pile, den ersten Kernreaktor… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • pile — Ⅰ. pile UK US /paɪl/ noun [C] ► a large amount of something: »a pile of cash/money »consumers with piles of credit card debt » I have piles of paperwork to finish. ● at the bottom/top of the pile Cf. at the top of the pile → See also …   Financial and business terms

  • pile — Ⅰ. pile [1] ► NOUN 1) a heap of things laid or lying one on top of another. 2) informal a large amount. 3) a large imposing building. ► VERB 1) place (things) one on top of the other. 2) ( …   English terms dictionary

  • pile on — ● pile * * * pile on [phrasal verb] 1 pile on (something) : to put a large amount of (something) on something or someone He piled on the gravy. The teacher punished the class by piling on more work. [=the teacher punished the class by giving them …   Useful english dictionary

  • Pile — Pile, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Piled}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Piling}.] 1. 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. Hills piled on hills. Dryden. Life piled on… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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