Dictionary definition · pile
noun
- a collection of objects laid on top of each other
- (often followed by ‘of’) a large number or amount or extent"a batch of letters"
- a large sum of money (especially as pay or profit)"she made a bundle selling real estate"
- fine soft dense hair (as the fine short hair of cattle or deer or the wool of sheep or the undercoat of certain dogs)
- battery consisting of voltaic cells arranged in series; the earliest electric battery devised by Volta
- a column of wood or steel or concrete that is driven into the ground to provide support for a structure
- the yarn (as in a rug or velvet or corduroy) that stands up from the weave"for uniform color and texture, tailors cut velvet with the pile running the same direction"
- a nuclear reactor that uses controlled nuclear fission to generate energy
verb
- arrange in stacks"heap firewood around the fireplace"
- press tightly together or cram"The crowd packed the auditorium"
- place or lay as if in a pile"The teacher piled work on the students until the parents protested"
Source: Open English WordNet (CC BY 4.0).