Pile up
phrasal verb
To accumulate or gather over time.
As I was busy, the paperwork started to pile up on my desk.
Often appears as...
- work piles up
- bills pile up
phrasal verb
To cause something to accumulate or gather over time.
Don't pile up your problems, deal with them one at a time.
Often appears as...
- pile up work
- pile up bills
phrasal verb
To crash or collide with each other, causing congestion.
Due to the fog, a number of cars piled up on the highway.
Often appears as...
- cars pile up
- vehicles pile up
Usage tips
Colloquial
phrasal verb
To accumulate or gather over time.
As I was busy, the paperwork started to pile up on my desk.
Often appears as...
- work piles up
- bills pile up
phrasal verb
To cause something to accumulate or gather over time.
Don't pile up your problems, deal with them one at a time.
Often appears as...
- pile up work
- pile up bills
phrasal verb
To crash or collide with each other, causing congestion.
Due to the fog, a number of cars piled up on the highway.
Often appears as...
- cars pile up
- vehicles pile up
Usage tips
Colloquial
Definition 1 of 3
Pro Tip 1/3Time reference
Use when indicating that tasks or items are gathering gradually.
The emails pile up if I don't check my inbox regularly.
Pro Tip 2/3Feeling overwhelmed
Describes the stress from a growing number of tasks or problems.
When assignments pile up, I feel overwhelmed.
Pro Tip 3/3Contextual use
Often used in work or administrative contexts to describe backlog.
Leave requests tend to pile up around the holidays.
Pro Tip 1/3Time reference
Use when indicating that tasks or items are gathering gradually.
The emails pile up if I don't check my inbox regularly.
Pro Tip 2/3Feeling overwhelmed
Describes the stress from a growing number of tasks or problems.
When assignments pile up, I feel overwhelmed.
Pro Tip 3/3Contextual use
Often used in work or administrative contexts to describe backlog.
Leave requests tend to pile up around the holidays.
Pro Tip 1/3Time reference
Use when indicating that tasks or items are gathering gradually.
The emails pile up if I don't check my inbox regularly.
Pro Tip 2/3Feeling overwhelmed
Describes the stress from a growing number of tasks or problems.
When assignments pile up, I feel overwhelmed.
Pro Tip 3/3Contextual use
Often used in work or administrative contexts to describe backlog.
Leave requests tend to pile up around the holidays.
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