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| pile [ pīl ] |
noun (plural piles) |
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| Definition: |
| |
1. mound of things: a number of things heaped or stacked one on top of another
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2. large quantity: a very large amount of something
(
informal
)
(
often used in the plural
)
  I've got piles of work to do.
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3. fortune: a very large amount of money, especially one large enough to retire on
(
informal
)
He'd already made his pile by the age of 30.
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4. building: a large impressive building
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5.
(
archaic
)
Same as pyre
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6. electricity
Same as voltaic pile
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7. nuclear physics
(
dated
)
Same as nuclear reactor
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verb (past and past participle piled, present participle pil·ing, 3rd person present singular piles) |
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| Definition: |
| |
1. transitive verb stack something into mound: to heap or stack things one on top of another
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2. transitive verb place large amount on something: to heap a large amount of something somewhere
plates piled high with ribs
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3. intransitive verb go as crowd: to move hurriedly in a large disorganized group
We all piled into the car and headed for the diner.
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| [15th century. Via French< Latin pila "pillar"] |
