1pile1 (paɪl
)
Definitions
noun
- a collection of objects laid on top of one another or of other material stacked vertically; heap; mound
- informal a large amount of money (esp in the phrase make a pile)
- (often plural) informal a large amount ⇒
a pile of work
- a less common word for pyre
- a large building or group of buildings
- short for voltaic pile
- physics a structure of uranium and a moderator used for producing atomic energy; nuclear reactor
- metallurgy an arrangement of wrought-iron bars that are to be heated and worked into a single bar
- the point of an arrow
verb
- (often foll by up) to collect or be collected into or as if into a pile ⇒
snow piled up in the drive
- (intr; foll by in, into, off, out, etc) to move in a group, esp in a hurried or disorganized manner ⇒
to pile off the bus
- See pile arms
- See pile it on
See also
pile upWord Origin
C15: via Old French from Latin pīla stone pierSynonyms
View thesaurus entry=
heap,
collection,
mountain,
mass,
stack,
rick,
mound,
accumulation,
stockpile,
hoard,
assortment,
assemblage,
= lot(s) mountain(s) load(s)
oceans,
wealth,
great deal stack(s)
abundance,
large quantity
oodles,
shedload,
2pile2 (paɪl)
Definitions
noun
- a long column of timber, concrete, or steel that is driven into the ground to provide a foundation for a vertical load (a bearing pile) or a group of such columns to resist a horizontal load from earth or water pressure (a sheet pile)
- heraldry an ordinary shaped like a wedge, usually displayed point-downwards
verb (tr)
- to drive (piles) into the ground
- to provide or support (a structure) with piles
Word Origin
Old English pīl, from Latin pīlumSynonyms
View thesaurus entry3pile3 (paɪl)
Definitions
noun
- textiles
- the yarns in a fabric that stand up or out from the weave, as in carpeting, velvet, flannel, etc
- one of these yarns
- soft fine hair, fur, wool, etc
Word Origin
C15: from Anglo-Norman pyle, from Latin pilus hairTranslations
- British English:
pile
A pile of things is a quantity of them lying on top of one another.The leaves had been swept into piles.paɪl NOUN The leaves had been swept into piles.
- Spanish:
pila
nf
- French:
pile
nf
- German:
Haufen
nm Haufen
- Chinese: 堆 n
- Arabic: كَوْمَة n
- Portuguese: pilha nf
- Russian: стопка nf
- Croatian: gomila nf
- Czech: hromada nf
- Danish: stak nutr
- Dutch: paal nm
- Finnish: pino n
- Greek: σωρός nm
- Italian: pila nf
- Japanese: 積み重ね n
- Korean: 퇴적물 n
- Norwegian: stabel nm
- Polish: stos nm
- Brazilian Portuguese: pilha nf
- European Spanish:
pila
nf
- Swedish: hög nutr
- Thai: กอง n
- Turkish: yığın n
- Vietnamese: đống n
Usage examples
Somehow he couldn't reconcile this pile of bones with the living, breathing girl he remembered.
, LOST SUMMER (2002)The ceramic logs, moulded from real wood, increasingly look as if they come from a wood pile.
Globe and Mail (2003)Our cerebral matter is vulnerable to what we pile on our plates.
Glasgow Herald (2001)Without Water, our bodies would shrivel up into a pile of dust.
, MOVING INTO ECSTASY: An Urban Mystic's Guide to Movement, Music and Meditation (2001)