# pile up

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/pile-up
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To collect or accumulate, as a backlog.

## Examples

- Work is starting to pile up on my desk.
- If you do not wash the dishes every day, they will pile up in the sink.
- As the deadline approached, the unanswered emails continued to pile up, causing him significant stress and forcing him to work late into the night.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.