pile
- 01 A2 Elementary
n.a number of things put on top of each other in a messy way.
n.a mass of objects heaped together; a disorganized accumulation.
Simple“There was a huge pile of dirty laundry on the bedroom floor.”
In context“A disorganized pile of documents sat on the corner of his desk, threatening to spill over at the slightest breeze.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a lot of something, especially a large amount of money.
n.a large quantity or amount of something; in informal contexts, specifically a significant sum of money.
Simple“He made a pile of money when he sold his first company.”
In context“After years of careful investing, she had accumulated quite a pile and was able to retire early.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
n.a long, strong post driven into the ground to support a building.
n.a heavy beam of wood, concrete, or steel driven vertically into the earth as a foundation for a structure.
Simple“The engineers had to drive deep piles into the soft mud to support the bridge.”
In context“The skyscraper required steel piles driven down to the bedrock to ensure stability against seismic activity.”
- 04 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.the soft, hairy surface of a carpet or cloth.
n.the surface of a fabric consisting of many small threads or loops standing up from the base.
Simple“The thick pile of the new carpet felt wonderful under my bare feet.”
In context“The velvet was of such high quality that the pile remained upright even after years of heavy use.”
- 05 B1 Intermediate
v.to put things one on top of another.
v.to accumulate or stack items into a heap; often used with 'up'.
Simple“She began to pile the books onto the shelves in alphabetical order.”
In context“The workers continued to pile the bricks in the yard, preparing for the next phase of construction.”
- 06 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to move together in a group, often in a hurried or messy way.
v.to move in a crowded, disorganized, or hurried fashion; frequently used with 'in' or 'out'.
Simple“As soon as the doors opened, the children started to pile into the classroom.”
In context“The commuters began to pile out of the train as soon as it reached the platform, eager to reach their offices.”
“Whether this man did or didn’t walk without shoes on a pile of sugar, there’s nothing humourous about such a video.”
“Syrskyi was also replaced several weeks later, after weeks of protests piled pressure onto the Ukrainian president.”
From Middle English pyle, from Old French pile, from Latin pīla (“pillar, pier”).
From Middle English pile, from Old English pīl, from Proto-West Germanic *pīl, from Latin pīlum (“heavy javelin”). Cognate with Dutch pijl, German Pfeil. Doublet of pilum.
Apparently from Late Latin pilus. Doublet of pilus.
From Middle English pile, partly from Anglo-Norman pil (a variant of peil, poil (“hair”)) and partly from its source, Latin pilus (“hair”). Doublet of pilus.
From French pile (“battery”), with the pronunciation adapted to the existing English word pile. Doublet of Etymology 1, which may have influenced the sense development by emphasizing the stack (“pile”) out of which early batteries were made.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.