Pile: vocabulary through images

pile

1

arrangement of things

[countable] a group of several things of the same type that are put on top of each other [= stack]

pile of

His mother came in carrying a pile of ironing in her arms.

Flora shuffled through a pile of magazines.

put something in/into a pile

She tidied up the books and put them in neat piles.

He balanced the plate on the top of a pile of books.

2

large amount

[countable] a large amount of something arranged in a shape that looks like a small hill

pile of

piles of melting snow

All that remained of the old house was a pile of rubble.

Sophie stooped to throw another branch on the pile.

He began to sweep the pieces of glass into a pile.

3

a pile of something

also piles of something informal a lot of something:

We've had piles of letters from viewers.

another pile of directives from the EU

4

the bottom of the pile

British English the weakest or least important position in a society or organization:

I soon discovered I was at the bottom of the pile in the office hierarchy.

She always puts her own needs to the bottom of the pile.

5

the top of the pile

British English the best or highest position in a society or organization:

It's been 20 years since a British tennis player was at the top of the pile.

6

house

[countable] a very large old house:

They've just bought an 18th-century pile in Surrey.

7

material

[uncountable and countable] the soft surface of short threads on a carpet or some types of cloth

thick/deep pile

Her feet sank into the thick pile of the rug.

a deep pile carpet

➔ nap1 (2)

8

post

[countable] technical a heavy wooden, stone, or metal post, used to support something heavy

9

make a/your pile

informal to make a lot of money:

He had made his pile in the wholesale business.

10

piles

[plural] painfully swollen blood vessels near a person's anus

Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.