piling

American  

[pahy-ling] / ˈpaɪ lɪŋ /

noun

1. a mass of building piles considered collectively.

2. a structure composed of piles.

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piling British  

/ ˈpaɪlɪŋ /

noun

1. the act of driving piles

2. a number of piles

3. a structure formed of piles

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Etymology

Origin of piling

First recorded in 1400–50, piling is from the late Middle English word pylyng; pile ², -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Strikes have led to rubbish piling up, with uncollected waste several feet high in some streets in the first few months, amid complaints of rats, foxes and seagulls tearing open plastic bags.

From BBC

Players responded by piling on a season-high 46 points in the first quarter.

From Los Angeles Times

Dealers are piling on extra discounts to make sales.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Cybertruck also has a reputation problem, partially due to quality issues that began piling up within weeks of the vehicle’s launch.

From MarketWatch

The malleability of the dog genome allows for enormous physical variety, she explained, meaning that breeders can push features to extremes—squashing snouts, piling on wrinkles.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• girder
• joist
• pillar
• plank
• pole
• shaft
• sill
• timber