pile·up

or pile-up (pīl′ŭp′)

1. Informal A serious collision usually involving several motor vehicles.

2. An accumulation: "the pile-up of unsold autos" (New York Times).

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

pile•up

(ˈpaɪlˌʌp)

n.

1. a collision of several or many moving vehicles.

2. an accumulation, as of chores or bills.

3. a rough or disorderly falling of people upon one another, as in a football game.

[1825–35]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

pileup - multiple collisions of vehicles

collision - an accident resulting from violent impact of a moving object; "three passengers were killed in the collision"; "the collision of the two ships resulted in a serious oil spill"

pileup

or pile-up
noun

Informal. A wrecking of a vehicle:

crash, smash, smashup, wreck.

Informal: crackup.

Translations

إِصْطِدَام

hromadná srážka

harmonikasammenstød

ketjukolari

lančani sudar

tamponamento a catena

山積み

연쇄 충돌

kettingbotsing

opphopning

nagromadzenie

choque em cadeia engavetamento

массовая автокатастрофа

seriekrock

รถชนกันหลายคัน

yığılmak

tai nạn liên hoàn

数辆车同时碰撞事件

pileup

→ إِصْطِدَام hromadná srážka harmonikasammenstød Massenkarambolage καραμπόλα choque en cadena ketjukolari carambolage lančani sudar tamponamento a catena 山積み 연쇄 충돌 kettingbotsing opphopning nagromadzenie choque em cadeia, engavetamento массовая автокатастрофа seriekrock รถชนกันหลายคัน yığılmak tai nạn liên hoàn 数辆车同时碰撞事件

Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

Mentioned in

References in periodicals archive

Beirut: A massive accident involving a 24-car pileup that resulted in 11 injuries and the blocking of a major highway on Wednesday evening has been described by Lebanon's worst accident in decades.

Lebanon truck accident causes largest pile up in decades

A Reinalyn Bus caused five-car pileup on the Alabang-Zapote Road in Las Pinas on Tuesday night.

WATCH: Bus causes 5-car pileup in Las Pinas

Elk Grove Village police continue to investigate deadly pileup

"So far, 63 passengers have been injured in the accident and one has lost his life," the head of Iran's Center for Emergency Medical Services, Pir-Hossain Kolivand, said Friday of the pileup in Khorasan Razavi province.

Fog disorients 130 drivers

FREDERICKSBURG, Pennsylvania, Jumada I 4, 1437, Feb 13, 2016, SPA -- A deadly pileup involving dozens of vehicles on an interstate highway in Pennsylvania sent more than 40 people to hospitals and more than 70 others to an emergency shelter set up to keep them out of the cold, authorities said Saturday, AP reported.

Multiple fatalities reported in big US highway pileup

Summary: A five-vehicle pileup caused heavy traffic Friday on a vital Kesrouan road north of Beirut.

Vehicle pileup on key highway north of Beirut

Two people died and 25 were injured in a pileup involving 22 cars near Riyadh on Friday night.

22-car pileup kills two

Summary: Muscat: Two motorists were killed and five others were injured in a car pileup near ...

Two killed, five injured in a pileup near Seeb

Summary: The sandstorm that reduced visibility across the UAE on Thursday morning caused a 23-vehicle pileup on Dubai Bypass Road in which at least nine people were injured.

Pileup in sandstorm injures nine on Dubai Bypass

The automaker has also developed a technology capable of detecting a sudden slowdown in two vehicles ahead while running on roads including highways and provides an alert to the driver, thereby helping prevent a pileup.

Nissan unveils new technologies to help prevent accidents