pile on
phrasal verb
piled on; piling on; piles on
US, informal
: to join other people in criticizing something or someone in usually an unfair way
After the first few negative reviews, all the other critics started piling on.
Examples of pile on in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The victims were found with their hands tied behind their backs and dumped into a pile on Monday night.
—
Liza Esquibias, Peoplemag, 22 May 2024
While some 140 countries – more than two-thirds of the United Nations – recognize a Palestinian state, the cascade on May 22 of announcements could build momentum at a time when even close allies of Israel have piled on criticism for its conduct in Gaza.
—Joseph Wilson, Melanie Lidman, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 May 2024
As the delays piled on over the past year, even Costner’s co-stars admitted to feeling anxious about its return.
—Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 21 May 2024
Canes lay in piles on their sides, ready for the volunteers to knock off dirt clods that otherwise would keep them from drying out, leaving them as a possible threat with the next flood.
—Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 20 May 2024
The first slide in the series was a selfie of a camo shirt-wearing Jonas staring into a mirror with his curly hair piled on top of his head, followed by a second one in which someone is running a clipper through his hair.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 17 May 2024
And, as expected, the crowd is piling on a smattering of boos any time Sam Bennett touches the puck.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 13 May 2024
In Congress, lawmakers on both sides quickly piled on.
—Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY, 7 May 2024
People threw chairs and at one point a group piled on a person who lay on the ground, kicking and beating them with sticks until others pulled them out of the scrum.
—Stefanie Dazio, Ethan Swope, Jake Offenhartz, and Joseph B. Frederick, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 May 2024
Liza Esquibias, Peoplemag, 22 May 2024
While some 140 countries – more than two-thirds of the United Nations – recognize a Palestinian state, the cascade on May 22 of announcements could build momentum at a time when even close allies of Israel have piled on criticism for its conduct in Gaza.
—Joseph Wilson, Melanie Lidman, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 May 2024
As the delays piled on over the past year, even Costner’s co-stars admitted to feeling anxious about its return.
—Meghan Overdeep, Southern Living, 21 May 2024
Canes lay in piles on their sides, ready for the volunteers to knock off dirt clods that otherwise would keep them from drying out, leaving them as a possible threat with the next flood.
—Brandon Loomis, The Arizona Republic, 20 May 2024
The first slide in the series was a selfie of a camo shirt-wearing Jonas staring into a mirror with his curly hair piled on top of his head, followed by a second one in which someone is running a clipper through his hair.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 17 May 2024
And, as expected, the crowd is piling on a smattering of boos any time Sam Bennett touches the puck.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 13 May 2024
In Congress, lawmakers on both sides quickly piled on.
—Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY, 7 May 2024
People threw chairs and at one point a group piled on a person who lay on the ground, kicking and beating them with sticks until others pulled them out of the scrum.
—Stefanie Dazio, Ethan Swope, Jake Offenhartz, and Joseph B. Frederick, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pile on.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near pile on
Cite this Entry
“Pile on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pile%20on. Accessed 2 Jun. 2024.
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