pile

Universal Words noun, verb noun-see also PILES 1 [C] a number of things that have been placed on top of each other: a pile of books / clothes / bricks * He arranged the documents in neat piles. * She looked in horror at the mounting pile of letters on her desk. 2 [C] a mass of sth that is high in the middle and wider at the bottom than at the top: a pile of sand * piles of dirty washing 3 [C] ~ of sth (formal) a lot of sth: I have got piles of work to do. * He walked out leaving a pile of debts behind him. 4 [U,sing.] the short threads, pieces of wool, etc. that form the soft surface of carpets and some fabrics such as VELVET: a deep-pile carpet * Corduroy is the poor man's velvet; its pile is made of cotton rather than silk or satin. 5 [C] a large wooden, metal or stone post that is fixed into the ground and used to support a building, bridge etc. 6 [C] (formal or humorous) a large impressive building: a Victorian pile built to house the mentally ill * the ancestral pile IDIOMS (at the) bottom / top of the pile in the least/most important position in a group of people or things: It's been 20 years since a British player was top of the pile. make a / your pile (informal) to make a lot of money: The family made its pile from oil. * I bet they made an absolute pile out of the deal. verb 1 [VN] ~ sth (up) to put things one on top of another; to form a pile: She piled the boxes one on top of the other. * The clothes were piled high on the chair. * Snow was piled up against the door. 2 [VN+adv./prep.] ~ A in(to) / on(to) B